The long-debated bill that would open up the state of Californiafor internet poker seems to be shut down for the rest of 2012, as the Senator pushing for the legislation pulled it from consideration by the appropriate committee on Tuesday.

State Senator Rod Wright (pictured), who has been a longtime proponent of opening up California for internet poker, pulled SB 1463 from consideration by the Governmental Organization Committee that he chairs. Wright made the move after it looked as if he would not have the votes from the committee to pass it through for consideration by the California General Assembly.

“We’re going to try and work some more and see what we can do,” Wright stated to the Los Angeles Times, but it seems that the differing agendas of several factions in California are making the fight difficult.

Although Wright has made several changes to the bill to appease the varying interests in California, including Indian tribes, card clubs, and horse racing tracks, it seems that none of those changes has been good enough to garner the support of the different organizations.

The Times said that Wright believes the problems begin with the fact that the Indian tribes are reportedly blocking any sort of internet gaming because they believe it would take away from their business. The card clubs‘ main concern is that they do not want the horse tracks to get any further into the poker business than they already are. Other groups are opposing the legalization and regulation of online gaming because it doesn’t have enough protection against out-of-state groups taking over potential California poker sites.

SB 1463 would allow California’s 150 card clubs, Indian casinos, and racetracks to bid for licenses on intrastate internet poker for California residents only. If the bill were voted into law, it could raise as much as $200 million annually for the state, while also offering protections for California residents who participate in online poker and other forms of gaming.

“If you limit who can participate, you are limiting the number of dollars that come into the state,” Wright said to the Times. “Underlying all of this is you still have a public interest to uphold.” When asked about the future of his bill, Wright estimated that the odds of success for this year were “less than 50/50,” saying, “We will keep talking (to the different interests in California), but it’s a tough go.”

There may be a glimmer of hope, though, for potential California legislation to get through the General Assembly and become law. Another supporter of online gaming legalization, State Senator Lou Correa, who has pushed his own intrastate gaming proposals in the past, has stated that he may continue the fight for internet poker.

The bill proposed by Correa, SB 40, would require California to opt out of any Federal regulation and instead establish a California-only compact.

Debate outside of the General Assembly in Sacramento also seems to be divided as to whether internet poker would be worthwhile. Governor Jerry Brown (pictured) has previously commented that any gaming regulation would not put a dent in the state’s massive budget shortfall.

Voters seem to be split on the issue, with a Times poll showing that almost half would support regulation if the money went to education and public safety, while and the other half of the population is against it due to the potential increase in problem gambling.

California would be considered the “crown jewel” of any potential intrastate gaming compact. With its 37 million residents, it is the largest state by population. It is estimated that nearly six million people in the state already participate in online gaming and poker and, as such, having access to that market would be something that any operator would covet.

In any case, the time is running out on the potential for California to enact online gaming regulations this year. The current session of the California General Assembly is scheduled to end on August 31, giving the legislators less than two months to get something done.