Despite Congress prohibiting online-poker playing nationwide last year, some students are still upset about being forced to fold.

UF sophomore Daniel Allison, a member of Poker Players Alliance, is one of many students who used online poker as his primary source of income until the ban passed in September.

“I’m not even making close to what I made before the ban was passed,” Allison said. “It takes too much effort to play, and there are thousands less people to play against – therefore, less cash payout.”

But students who depended on online poker for income or just enjoyed it as a recreational activity may still have a fighting chance.

Florida Congressman Robert Wexler and former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, who is also chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, are fighting to repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, according to the Poker Players Alliance Web site.

The act prohibits the transfer of funds from a financial institution to an Internet gambling site, but “fantasy” sports, online lotteries and horse racing are exempt from the law.

Wexler gave a speech at the World Series of Poker asking to exclude poker from the online-gaming ban, classifying it as a skill-based game and “as much our pastime as baseball,” according to the Web site.

Many students have joined the Poker Players Alliance to support Wexler’s Skill Game Protection Act, according to the Poker Players Alliance’s Facebook group.

“I think the bill has a really good chance to pass, due to the fact that they are portraying it as a game of skill,” Allison said.

The Poker Players Alliance’s Web site urges people concerned to write letters to their representatives or senators to increase the bill’s chance of passing.

Many players are doing what they can, and meanwhile, they await the outcome of their efforts.

“Until something is done, I have applied for student loans,” Allison said.

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Author Contact Info: Whitney Wettstein, Alligator Online