California’s likelihood of passing online poker legislation in 2015 appears even less promising following pessimistic comments attributed to a prominent state senator.

On Friday, Capitol Weekly quoted California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA) lobbyist David Quintana saying a recent conversation with state Sen. Isadore Hall gave him little confidence regarding online poker’s short-term legislative future. Quintana said Hall, who chairs the Senate Government Organization Committee, “will not be setting or hearing any internet poker bills this year.”

Hall’s stance was confirmed by a source who told Capitol Weekly that Hall was “not going to hear the bills” and thus online poker was “dead” for the current legislative session. Hall’s committee has jurisdiction over the state’s gambling sector and his intransigence creates yet another seemingly insurmountable hurdle for any of the state’s four competing online poker bills to clear.

However, Assemblyman Adam Gray, whose AB 431 online poker ‘shell’ bill has made it through two committee votes this spring, isn’t ready to throw in the towel. Gray claimed the issue was “alive – very much so” and that negotiations with the state’s fractious stakeholders were ongoing.