April 24th, 2013
By Poker Players Alliance
|
|
|
Weekly Update from Rich Muny, VP of Player Relations
A major part of PPA’s mission is to organize the poker community in our shared fight for our rights. To this end, PPA Executive Director John Pappas and I traveled to Henderson, NV last week to meet with poker author and owner of Two Plus Two Publishing and Two Plus Two owner Mason Malmuth.
I am pleased to report that we had a terrific, productive meeting. As a great deal of poker grassroots activism is through poker forums like 2+2 – which is just one reason I participate daily on several poker forums and moderate a few, including three subforums on 2+2 – it is important that PPA has strong, transparent, ongoing communication with these sites. Additionally, as Mason is a noted author of several seminal poker books and is a well-regarded leader in the poker community, we are pleased to avail ourselves of all opportunities to meet with him and the staff at 2+2.
As we are good stewards of donations we receive, I am happy to share that I was able to secure a couple of room comps for John and me for the trip, while keeping other expenses to the bare minimum. And, as you can see, we were there to work, sleeves rolled up (for those of us even wearing sleeves, that is):
Rich Muny, Mason Malmuth, and John Pappas
We wish to thank Mason for taking the time to meet with us and for his generous support for PPA over the years!
Online Poker Bill Introduced in Pennsylvania
Great news in Pennsylvania! State Representative Tina Davis has introduced HB 1235 (link), a bill to license and regulate online poker in that state. PPA is in the process of reviewing the bill and will be sending updates and action alerts to our advocates in the state.
Unintended Consequences of New Florida Internet Café Ban
Last week, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed HB155 (link), a bill to ban Internet café gaming, into law. This bill was fast-tracked through the legislative process on the heels of a federal investigation into a charity — Allied Veterans of the World — that authorities say was an illegal gambling front which was able to document having given just 2% of the proceeds to veterans.
The law took effect immediately after the governor signed it, about a month after almost 60 people were arrested in connection with the racketeering investigation into the charity. The investigation and arrests prompted Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll to resign from office over her ties with the group.
Unfortunately, as the law was rushed through with what was described as “dizzying speed,” it has had unintended consequences. Sadly, ClubWPT has pulled out of the Sunshine State as a result. It remains to be seen if others will follow.
Now that these lawmakers have established political cover by rushing this bill through, I expect cooler heads to prevail as we advocate for amendments to this law to permit subscription-type poker sites and, perhaps, even licensed and regulated real money online poker.
I encourage everyone living in Florida to call Governor Scott at (850) 488-7146 to tell him to support poker!
Texas Poker Legislation
The situation in Texas with SJR 64, a proposal that would allow voters and rather than the state legislature to decide if the state should authorize casinos, continues to be fluid. PPA has retained local counsel to complement our advocacy efforts with state lawmakers who are still undecided on how they will vote.
PPA is reaching out to the State Senate Business and Commerce Committee, urging its members to schedule a vote on this important legislation.
We ask all Texas poker advocates to please stay engaged, to continue participating in Texas State Director Matt Allen’s daily action plan (link), and to follow hashtag #texans4poker on Twitter for updates.
Join PPA
Over the course of 2013, PPA has 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 will feature North Carolina PPA State Director Evan Grizzard and another all-star poker panel! 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 (4/22): I interviewed Wendeen Eolis of Poker Player Newspaper. Download and/or listen here or on iTunes here.
- Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny on OnTilt Radio (4/15): For the Black Friday second anniversary webcast, PPA Texas State Director Matt Allen and Texas player and activist Jason Velasco stopped by to tell us about testifying at that state’s Senate committee hearing. This was followed by an all-star panel discussion, featuring poker journalist Marco Valerio, Chris Grove of Online Poker Report, and PPA Litigation Support Director & Board Member Patrick Fleming! Download and/or listen here or on iTunes 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
For the most up-to-date news, follow us at:
Thank you for your continued support!
The PPA wishes to keep active members like yourself updated on the latest poker advocacy news by periodically sending out select events and headlines. We hope you find it informative and thank you for your continuing support.
|
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
|
|
|
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 at 8:17 am and is filed under Newsletters.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or from your own site.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
