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Former Senator Al D'Amato to join PPA as Chief Lobbyist for Online PokerTue, Feb 20th, 2007 @ 12:00am Rumors are certainly rampant this week. But it seems much more than rumor that the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is enticing former New York Senator Alfonse "Al" D'Amato to become its chairman and chief lobbyist for online poker. PokerHelper author Tom Somach first publicly reported the PPA and D'Amato deal on Feb 10th. PokerPlayer Online author Wendeen Eolis relayed her long-requested-to-be-heldback information about it on Feb 16th and 17th. The PPA "expects poker players to benefit from Mr. D'Amato's guidance, as it spearheads an effort to obtain an exemption of poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 [UIGEA]," said Eolis.
D'Amato is an avid poker player. His infamous Washington poker games with lobbyists often got him in trouble for influence-peddling while he was a Republican U.S. senator from the State of New York for a total of three six-year terms starting in 1980. His home poker games included shock-jock Howard Stern and Dominic Barbara, the high-profile Long Island lawyer whose fame came from cases concerning Playboy model Jessica Hahn and Joey Buttafuoco. In 1998, D'Amato's senatorial career ended when he was defeated in a bid for a fourth straight term by Democratic U.S.Congressman Chuck Schumer. D'Amato then became a lobbyist. Click here to read D'Amato's bio on wikipedia. The PPA-D'Amato match looks like a good fit on several dimensions. D'Amato's many years as senator on Capitol Hill means he has access where others may not because he is a well-known face inside the D.C. Beltway. His senate experience means he knows how to influence people and anticipate problems surrounding getting legislation passed. But more so, D'Amato is an avid poker player in real life. So his enthusiasm to protect the rights of online poker players will be genuine, and not merely a lobbyist's perspective that was purchased. When Eolis asked about the D'Amato deal, Michael Bolcerek, the San Francisco-based and Washington-savvy president of the PPA, insisted that no official deal had been signed yet. But as Eolis so aptly described it, "the PPA has proposed its chairmanship to Mr. D'Amato on bended knee. And the three-term senator from New York, who is now the managing director of a consultancy/lobbying firm, is poised to say, I do." Bolcerek said that the PPA now has an estimated 140,000 members and is growing stronger every day. He told Eolis that his goal is to have more than a million poker aficionados to support the upcoming battle that online gaming sites will face, and that Mr. D'Amato "is a good fit" to lead the way. Read Related Articles:
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The
PPA claims poker is a game of skill, not luck or chance, and so it shouldn't
be subject to the UIEGA legislation affecting online gambling or games of
chance.
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