Poker Players Alliance

Poker Player Alliance fights for skill game exemption for poker in the 110th Congress

The new 110th Congress has an opportunity to right the wrong it created when it passed legislation that seeks to ban online poker. The bill, which was later signed into law, provides exemptions for online lotteries, horse track betting and fantasy sports but sweeps poker, an American pastime and a game of skill, into its net of prohibition.

The Poker Players Alliance is already acting to get a poker exemption from the new Congress. Starting in January 2007 we began meeting with Members of Congress, their staffs and other like-minded organizations who want to keep the Internet free from government interference. We are building support for our cause and are optimistic that we can succeed.

As the enforcement provisions of the online gaming law go into effect, the unintended consequences of the prohibition will become even more apparent to lawmakers.  A poker exemption is the first, small step that Congress can take to in the right direction to protect our game and help minimize these unintended consequences. But, we cannot stop there. Congress must move towards regulation of online poker so that we can ensure a fair and safe environment for us to play the game we love.

Licensing and regulation, not prohibition, is the solution. Only through regulation can we establish player safeguards and ensure a fair game and that our money is protected. Only through regulation can we ensure that proper age verification is used by all licensed operators to keep children off poker sites. Only through regulation can we provide effective and meaningful education and treatment services for problem gamblers.

And by the way, only through regulation can poker provide significant tax revenues (approximately 3.3 billion dollars for the federal government and $1 billion for state governments annually) that are available just by doing the right thing.

We encourage you to return to the Poker Players Alliance website to receive regular updates on our progress. Rest assured that we are working to defend the game and uphold your rights to play. Thank you for your valued support.

Michael Bolcerek

Author Contact Info: Michael Bolcerek

Tags: pressrelease2007

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.