Important Committee Hearing Approaching

The PPA is working hard to achieve a successful Committee vote of H.R. 2267 the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, which will pass the bill out of the Financial Services Committee and send it to the full House of Representatives for debate and a vote. The Committee vote could come as soon as February and we need your help! We are asking those PPA members that reside in the list of targeted congressional districts to take a moment and contact your Representative member now.

To check to see if you reside in a targeted congressional district, click the button below and enter your zipcode.



Watch the short video of PPA Executive Director John Pappas discuss the upcoming Committee vote.



Keep checking our website for the latest news as it unfolds.

back to top

South Carolina Attorney General’s Attack on Poker

The PPA has learned that South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has decided to challenge Circuit Judge Markley Dennis’s decision where he overturned the conviction of five Mount Pleasant poker players last year. The PPA has been very active in this case and has been working closely with our members in South Carolina to let Attorney General McMaster’s know that poker is a game of skill and that we disapprove of his desperate attempt to criminalize playing poker in your own home!

To read more about McMaster’s attack on poker, click here.

back to top

The One Step Closer Foundation

On Saturday, December 12, 2009 the PPA was privileged to be a lead sponsor of the annual fundraiser for the One Step Closer Foundation (OSCF) at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Several PPA State Directors from around the country were able to participate in this great cause and they also helped highlight our issues with the other poker players who participated in this year’s event.

The (OSCF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization whose main goal is to ease, as much as possible, the lives of those who suffer from Cerebral Palsy. Click here to learn more about the OSCF.

The Florida PPA helps raises awareness for the Special Olympics

Martin Shapiro, the Florida PPA State Director, participated in the Poker Dawgs charity poker tournament that was held on Friday, January 8th, 2010, in St. Petersburg to raise funds for the Special Olympics Florida. Mr. Shapiro spoke to the participating players about the mission of the PPA and impressively he placed 2nd overall in the tournament. The event was the first in a series of twenty-four charity tournaments organized by PokerDawgs.net at the Derby Lane Poker Room to benefit Special Olympics Florida. The tournaments are open to all players including those that are brand new to the game of Texas Hold’em. Poker Dawgs is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization located in Florida that conducts fund-raisers to benefit charitable organizations in Florida. Click here to find out more about the charity poker tournaments. For more information about the PPA in Florida, email Mr. Shapiro.

back to top

NV PPA State Director Dianna Donofrio-Trigatzi

Each month that PPA will be highlighting one of our 50 State Directors and this month we are please to introduce Dianna Donofrio-Trigatzi of Las Vegas Nevada. Dianna has been a life time advocate for poker and has been a member of the PPA since 2007 and the Nevada State Director since 2008. Dianna has a diverse background ranging from working for the former US Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN) to owning her own salon. Dianna is very passionate about the game of poker and attended this past National Poker Week in Washington DC where along with other State Directors played a critical role in helping the PPA successfully lobby congress in our fight against the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA). In addition to Dianna’s role as State Director she is very active in many notable celebrity charity poker tournaments each year. For those PPA members in Nevada that would like to become more involved in the Nevada State Committee please contact Dianna at NV@thepokerplayersalliance.org.

back to top

New Activist Tool: Tweet for Poker

The PPA is growing leaps and bounds in part to our cutting edge social networking grassroots abilities. If you are not already a part of one of our social networking groups please join us/follow us at:

• PPA’s membership forum
• Facebook
• Tweet For Congress
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Pokernations
• Flickr
• YouTube

back to top

PPA Wins Petition to Delay UIGEA!

On November 27, 2009, the U.S. Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve Board agreed with the PPA’s petition to delay the compliance date for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by six months to June 1, 2010. [click here to read the petition announcement]

The extension is an important victory for PPA and our members, who led the fight in advocating for the delay. The ruling affords six months for Congress to revise the act, clarifying the definition of “unlawful Internet gambling” and to start the process to licensing and regulating games of skill like poker.

back to top

Joe Cada, Winner of the 2009 WSOP Main Event visits Washington

On December 8th, Joe Cada the winner of the 2009 WSOP Main Event visited with several key lawmakers including his home town Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI) as well as meeting with both his U.S. Senators, Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI). In addition to meeting his local congressional delegation, Cada had lunch in the Members’ of Congress dining room in the U.S. Capitol Building. Afterwards, Cada was taken onto the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Dean Heller (R-NV-02), a once in a lifetime opportunity. In all, Joe met with more than 10 members of Congress and left a great impression for the poker community.

While in town, Cada visited some of our national monuments and was able to relax a bit by playing in a local weekly $40 buy in home game. To read more click here.

back to top

National Journal is a weekly publication that covers the U.S. national political scene and emerging trends in U.S. foreign and domestic policy. On the cover of the December 5, 2009 issue is featured a piece that takes a look at President Barack Obama’s time in the oval office and draws comparisons between his poker skills and his local, state and presidential political decisions. To read the full article click here.

back to top

New Activist Tool: Tweet for Poker

The PPA is growing leaps and bounds in part to our cutting edge social networking grassroots abilities. If you are not already a part of one of our social networking groups please join us/follow us at:

• PPA’s membership forum
• Facebook
• Tweet For Congress
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Pokernations
• Flickr
• YouTube

back to top

Who Plays Poker?

Did you know that 47% of PPA members earn more than $50,000 a year or that more that 75% of our membership are between the ages of 30-64? If you didn’t and you would like to learn more interesting factoids please click here to learn more!

back to top