Convicted California senator resigns from influencial committee

California Senator Rod Wright, who was earlier this week convicted in a Los Angeles court on eight felony counts for voter fraud and perjury, has resigned his chairmanship of the influential Senate Governmental Organization Committee, which initially handles all state gambling bills.

The Senator is a strong supporter of legalised online poker in California, and the author of several bills on the issue that have thus far failed to pass the state Legislature.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg approved Wright’s resignation, saying that the Senator wished to focus on an appeal against his conviction.

The consensus on many online poker message boards and online media outlets appears to be that Wright’s resignation is a setback for the legalisation drive in the state, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Nicholas Kisberg, the chief executive of CardsChat.com, said:

“Internet poker is not going anywhere, and Sen. Wright is appealing the jury’s verdict, so he is not going anywhere just yet either.

“As a man of vision, and a man willing to take the poker bull by the horns and stand behind legislation, his influence will be sorely missed. This could cause catastrophic delays for the industry.”

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