April 10th, 2013
By Poker Players Alliance
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Weekly Update from Rich Muny, VP of Player Relations
With all the victories we have seen in 2013, we were recently reminded that opponents of poker have not gone away or given up.
Last week, Kansas Senator Jacob LaTurner led an effort to criminalize playing online poker in his state, proposing a last minute amendment to a broader gaming bill that would have made playing online poker and online casino-style games a class B nonperson misdemeanor! The amendment passed the vote for inclusion into the broader bill by a vote of 26-11 (read more about the vote here)! Fortunately, the Kansas State Senate voted to reject the broader gaming bill, killing the ban attempt for now. Nevertheless, the threat is real.
The effort to criminalize online poker in Kansas sets a bad precedent and is an affront to our personal freedoms. Had it passed into law, Senator LaTurner’s amendment would have had a devastating impact on the future of poker in Kansas. It would have prevented Kansas from joining states like New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware which are already licensing and regulating online poker.
The criminal prohibition proposed by Senator LaTurner would do nothing to protect consumers from unscrupulous operators. It would do nothing to address problem or underage participation. And, it would completely ignore the opportunity for Kansas to raise much needed revenue for important priorities like education and infrastructure.
I encourage everyone to keep in mind the fact that the fight for poker is far from over! Let’s all stay engaged and win this.
PPA Fighting for Poker in Courtrooms Across America
As the PPA’s efforts to expand your ability to play poker continues in state legislatures, so does the PPA’s legal effort to see poker excluded from many existing statutes prohibiting illegal gaming. At present, as PPA’s Litigation Support Director and Board Member Patrick Fleming observes, “We are truly at an historic moment in our litigation efforts. As many know, the first ever examination by a Federal Court of whether poker should be classified as a game of skill occurred last year in the case of US v. DiCristina. Poker’s victory in that case is now on appeal in the US 2nd Circuit and last week was the deadline for filing the first set of briefs. If the 2nd Circuit agrees with the lower court’s ruling, US v. DiCristina could possibly end up being just as important to poker’s future as Brown v. Board of education was to the future of the civil rights movement and other similar cases were to other causes.”
Coordinated by PPA, and working in concert with DiCristina’s lawyers, an impressive number of people and organizations (including PPA) filed “Friend of the Court” briefs in support of the argument that poker is not, and should not be, put in the same legal category as traditional casino gambling games. All of those briefs, as well as the briefs filed by the government and Mr. DiCristina’s lawyers, can be found and read or downloaded from the PPA website at /resources/legal. Patrick also noted that not all the briefs are filled with just statistics and legalese; those not wanting to get that deep into legal argument will still enjoy reading the poker history lesson provided in the brief from Jim McManus or the description of player’s thinking while playing a hand found in the amateur players’ brief.
And while winning in court does not eliminate the need for new legislation, it, Fleming noted, “certainly helps make the job of convincing legislators to see poker in a different and better light that much easier.”
Texas Hearing
Poker is a hot topic in Austin! In fact, the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce began a hearing today at 8 am CT to discuss licensing bricks-and-mortar casinos, which would create new opportunities for all of us – state residents and non-residents alike — to play poker in the Lone Star State. PPA Texas State Director Matt Allen is scheduled to testify on behalf of the Texas poker community at this important hearing!
Here are the current poker bills pending in Texas:
HB 292
HB 2098
SB 1103
SJR 43
HB 3529
PPA Texas State Director Matt Allen with his Congressman, poker backer Rep. Joe Barton (R-6th)
Join the PPA
Over the course of 2013, we have been communicating with you regarding our ambitious goals for poker rights going forward. Historic victories like the one in New Jersey cannot be duplicated elsewhere without your support. We can’t win the fight for our poker rights without the strong financial backing of the poker community.
A 2013 PPA member is the smartest bet for the future of our game. Join today for only $15 to receive the great benefits of membership and to help us continue the fight for our rights as poker players!
Interviews
Upcoming Appearances:
- The Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny webcast on OnTilt Radio airs live each Monday at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Next week’s show marks the second anniversary of Black Friday and will feature poker journalist Marco Valerio of AgentMarco.com, Chris Grove of Online Poker Report, and more! Listen live here.
- Webcast: “PPA Weekly Update” airs live each Sunday at 6:45 pm ET/3:45 pm PT on Fifth Street Radio. Listen live here.
Recent appearances:
- Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny on OnTilt Radio (4/8): I interviewed PPA Colorado State Director & OnTilt Radio CEO Robin Jones on all the poker activism in Colorado and across the country. The interview was followed by an expert panel with Marco Valerio, Steve “Chops” Preiss, and 2004 WSOP Champion Greg Raymer! Listen here or on iTunes here.
- Fifth Street Radio (4/7): PPA Executive Director John Pappas sat down with host Mark Hoke to share all that PPA is doing. John comes on at time point 0:45:01. Listen here.
Interview Archives:
- Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny: show archive, free iTunes download
- Fifth Street Radio PPA Weekly Update: site archive, free iTunes download
Social Media
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Thank you for your continued support!
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The Poker Players AllianceDedicated to Protecting America’s Favorite Card Game The Poker Players Alliance is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of poker players and enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and to protect poker players’ rights. Visit us at theppa.org
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