Pros and joes join in Poker Players Alliance rally at state capital

OLYMPIA — Matthew Smith has been a poker player for 20 years, long before he moved to Ferndale last July, but like many other Washingtonians he finds himself unable to play a hand of poker online without fear of being charged with a class C felony.

On March 17, Smith was present in Olympia with members of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and several professional poker players to tell state legislators how he felt about the law prohibiting online gambling, which was passed in 2006.

According to a PPA press release, Washington is the only state that considers online gambling a class C felony, punishable by a $10,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison.

“People should have the freedom to gamble online in their homes, where they feel comfortable, but instead they face the same charges that sex offenders do in Washington,” Smith said. “I am glad to represent Ferndale in these matters of personal freedom.”

Smith met with Representatives Jason Overstreet and Vincent Buys, and Senator Doug Ericksen of the 42nd Legislative District to express his hopes that the ban would be overturned. He said that all three were in favor of repealing the law.

“For me, it is a question of fairness and appropriate regulation on the part of the state,” Ericksen said.

After meeting with representatives, a poker game was held at a nearby restaurant where Smith and other Washington PPA members played a hand with the likes of former Washington Senator Luke Esser. Ericksen made an appearance, but did not join in the poker game. PPA members also had the opportunity to meet professional poker players Andy Bloch, Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher, who were in Olympia to support PPA’s cause.

John Pappas, executive director of the PPA, said he personally spoke to Washington state legislators who admitted they did not know the severity of the law when they signed the bill.

“It happens often,” Pappas said. “A legislator signs a bill because they trust the person who wrote it, but don’t personally examine the information. Lawmakers didn’t know they were making felons out of poker players who want to gamble with a dollar or two online.”

Washington Senator Margarita Prentice was the driving force behind the internet gambling ban in Washington. She stood behind it firmly in 2006, and recently made public comments about online gamblers that offended not only the online poker community, but other members of the Senate.

Despite protests, the Washington Supreme Court upheld the law in 2010, and online poker sites such as Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker pulled access from Washington to avoid the controversy. However, people are still finding ways to play, and according to PPA member Charla Newman, the PPA just wants to see players have a safe, regulated environment to gamble in.

“Most of our members are upstanding citizens who just want to gamble with a few bucks,” Newman said.

A pole taken by the PPA in 2010 revealed that 80 percent of Washington residents do not support the law banning online gambling. The alternative proposed by the PPA is that the state of Washington license, tax and regulate online gambling to generate state revenues. The number could be in the tens of millions per year, said Pappas

The PPA has vowed to become more of a presence in Washington until the law is repealed, and with more than 20,000 members in Washington alone, no one anticipates the issue will fall away.

Stephanie Plumb
Ferndale Record

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