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Current Affairs:
Preserve Online Poker for U.S. PlayersBy PokerPages
After the Unites States House of Representatives passed the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act bill on July 11th, the The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) launched a letter-writing campaign. The campaign encourages all online poker to send a letter to their senators asking them to reconsider passage of the bill, which is up for review by the Senate. PPA even provides an editable letter template to help players get the message across not to ban U.S. Players from playing online poker. The template can be found at the PPA website at www.pokerplayersalliance.org.
Poker notables Howard Lederer, Chris Jesus Ferguson, Mike Caro, and 2004 Main Event WSOP winner Greg "Fossilman" Raymer have supported many efforts by PPA to educate Congress how poker as a skill game and a non-house banked game, and that is should be treated differently than other forms of gambling.
A recent CNBC poll showed that over 90 percent of Americans would like to see online gambling poker regulated in the U.S. and not prohibited! Studies have shown that regulation and taxation of Internet poker could net the federal government $3.3 billion in revenue annually and another $1 billion for the states.
In a reply to the passage of the House bill posted on the PPA website, Howard Lederer observed, "While the sponsors of the bill call it a "prohibition," the legislation actually clears a path for certain favored types of Internet gambling. For example, the bill affirmatively legalizes online bets on horse races, Internet state lotteries and certain fantasy sports."
At a rally recently held at the WSOP in Vegas, Michael Bolcerek, the president of PPA, said the PPA seeks to further increase the effectiveness of its voice by continuing to add to its 100,000 membership. Over 70 Million Americans now play Poker, and 23 Million Americans play Poker on the Internet. He said if Congress heard from a fraction of these players, especially as this is an election year, that he is convinced online poker can be preserved for U.S players.
Greg Raymer more pointedly added, "You have to convince these Congressmen not just that you are right; you have to convince them that it is in their self-interest to be on our side. The only way that we can convince them of that is to show them how we are going to vote and how we are going to influence other voters."
The campaign for letter writing and the PPA membership drive continues particularly while the Senate is in recess during the summer. That way the message will be louder and stronger upon the return of the Senate at the end of the summer.
Membership to the PokerPlayers Alliance and letter template can be found at the PPA website at www.pokerplayersalliance.org.
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