Four separate hearings are currently scheduled in the CaliforniaLegislature to discuss online poker and internet gambling. Whether anything develops from those remains to be seen, but four hearings are certainly better than zero.

Thanks to Chris Grove at Online Poker Report, we have a solid idea of what each of these hearings will entail. The first will be held on Wednesday, April 22 at 1:30pm PT in the State Capitol Building, Room 4202. This hearing is to discuss Assembly Bill 431, introduced by Assembly Member Adam Gray in February.

This bill simply authorizes the regulation of online poker and associated licenses, although it does not set forth any of the actual rules and regulations needed. As Grove said, this is really just a “shell” that needs to be formally heard and reported by May 1 to continue to survive. There will be testimony at this hearing, but it sounds like the reason for the meeting to just keep AB 431 in play. A total of ten bills will be heard on Wednesday, so the depth of the discussions of poker could be fairly shallow.

The second hearing will be a month later, on May 20, also at 1:30pm PT in Room 4202. This one will be a joint hearing in front of both the Senate and General Assembly Governmental Organization (GO) committees. The topic is “Overview of Gambling in California – Legality, Authorization and Regulation.” It could cover more than just online poker and there will not be a vote on any bill held. Grove felt that the role of California race tracks in the state’s possible online poker industry could be a topic of debate.

Another month later, on June 24, there will be a third hearing. Same time, same room, and again in front of both GO committees. No bill is listed to be discussed, but considering this will be the third hearing in the span of two months, it is likely that the talks will get more in-depth. As Grove put it, it will be “one of the last, best chances to take the temperature of the various stakeholders and to handicap progress toward consensus.”

The fourth and last hearing scheduled is for July 8. Two bills are currently listed to be heard: AB 9, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (pictured), and AB 167, introduced by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer.

Some of the more significant parts of the two bills directly oppose each other: Gatto’s bill has a bad actor clause, while Jones-Sawyer’s doesn’t. Gatto’s bill allows racetracks to be eligible to apply for online poker licenses, while Jones-Sawyer’s does not. The bad actor clause in Gatto’s bill not only keeps those who kept operating in the US after the UIGEA from applying for licenses, but also includes “covered assets” in that ban, meaning PokerStars would still be on the outside looking in.

Gatto’s bill originally included a controversial measure that would have required players to sign up and make their initial deposits at a brick-and-mortar location, but he amended the bill in January to remove that and instead make it an option. There is a chance that high-dollar withdrawals will have to be made in person.

Visit PocketFives’ California poker community for the latest news and discussion from California players.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook.