California Voters Ambivalent About Online Poker

A little surprising for a state where live poker is so popular.

That’s our general reaction to the results of a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times survey regarding California’s ongoing effort to establish and regulate intrastate online poker in California.

From the LA Times:

In a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times survey, about half of the respondents said the spread of Web-based gaming would set a bad example for young people and make it more likely that they would become addicted to gambling.

Still, 47% said they would favor legalization of online poker if, as lawmakers promise, it could raise $200 million annually for education, public safety and other government services.

The LA Times LOVES that stock photo of the guy improbably one-tabling Paradise Poker.

Sounds like when the rubber meets the road there’s unlikely to be much opposition from the public, but the California bill has other problems anyway.