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Weekly Update from Rich Muny, VP of Player Relations
We had another big week for poker, including a historic milestone! Yesterday, we saw the first hand of licensed Internet cash poker dealt in the U.S. on Ultimate Poker (no relation to Ultimate Bet). Congratulations to Ultimate Poker for being first. Read more on this story here.
PPA at the Global Internet Gaming Summit and Expo 2013 (GiGse)
The Poker Players Alliance once again made the annual trip to San Francisco for the largest and most influential Internet gaming conference in North America! This year, GiGse attracted nearly 700 participants from across the globe. From the largest U.S. gaming companies to small start-up technology firms that specialize in i-gaming software, GiGse was the place to be last week for those with a stake in the future of the U.S. Internet gaming market.
Naturally, PPA took a leadership role throughout the week. PPA Executive Director John Pappas was a featured speaker at the conference.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas at GiGse
The week was filled with informative sessions about the future of Internet poker in the United States. GiGse brought together divergent interests like U.S. casinos, state lotteries, Indian tribes, and European online operators to discuss matters like the potential for state and federal legislation, the feasibility of interstate compacts, and the growing interplay between social gaming and real money gaming.
The undisputed highlight of GiGse was the “Licensing Suitability” panel to discuss legal and commercial rationale of excluding off-shore operators. John Pappas, Jan Jones-Blackhurst of Caesars Entertainment, and Mike Rumbolz with Seminole Hard Rock were on this panel.
The GiGse Licensing Suitability Panel
The discussion was described by some as “lively” and “heated” but, in reality, it was a substantive discussion about who should be eligible to serve U.S. players. Pappas took the position that U.S. gaming regulators, the gold standard for determining the suitability of operators, should maintain their role of examining applicants and issuing licenses to those which meet the suitability requirements. Pappas also added that in the specific case of PokerStars, players from across the country have spoken very clearly that they support that company being part of the U.S. market, either as a direct operator or a partner with an existing U.S. gaming company (tribal, commercial, or lottery). PokerStars’ presence would increase competition, raising the bar for operators to offer consumer-driven products.
The opposing view on the panel was that companies that took U.S. wagers after the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 (UIGEA) should be completely ineligible to seek licensing or to partner or sell their software to anyone seeking a license. This would strip regulators of their traditional, independent role of determining suitability and would, instead, place this in the hands of politicians.
While many factors should determine whether a company is suitable to operate in the U.S. Internet gaming market, I feel using the enactment of UIGEA as a barrier to entry does not have legal merit. As most educated poker players know, UIGEA did not make any form of gaming illegal. This fact has even been supported by the American Gaming Association in their white paper entitled, Online Gambling Five Years After UIGEA, where they say “Congress has enacted no legislation that squarely addresses the legality of online gambling.”
Further, the Department of Justice opinion from December 2011 and subsequent court rulings such as DiCristina vs. United States, add even greater credence to the legal argument that Internet poker does not directly violate federal law. Given these facts, it is difficult to understand why it is a credible reason to exclude an operator simply because they accepted Internet poker play after UIGEA was enacted, especially if that company has not been found to have violated the law.
Suitability should be about “good character, honesty, integrity and financial suitability.” These factors have been sorted out by gaming regulators for decades and it has worked very well in the brick and mortar environment. It is PPA’s position that regulators should maintain their role to make these determinations and should be able to do so independent of external political or competitive pressures. This will ultimately result in the strongest market for the consumer — an open, competitive market filled with suitable operators to provide us with the best products possible.
The GiGse Wrap-Up Webcast
This Monday’s Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny webcast featured a chat with PPA NC State Director Evan Grizzard on all that is going on in North Carolina, followed by an all-star panel discussion with PPA Executive Director John Pappas, Marco Valerio of QuadJacks, and Diamond Flush of DiamondFlushPoker.com. All three panelists were at GiGse, and their first-hand accounts made for a terrific webcast. I hope you will all take a moment to check this one out. You won’t want to miss this!
Listen and/or download the podcast HERE and on iTunes HERE.
Oregon Lawmakers Seek to Ban Poker Rooms
A couple of lawmakers in Oregon are seeking to shut down poker rooms in that state. Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, introduced Oregon House Bill 3518 to limit poker rooms to religious, charitable, and fraternal organizations. I encourage everyone to read more about this here. Please leave a pro-poker comment while there. It is important for reporters to see the support poker enjoys.
Take Action
- Let’s all vote and comment on a Wall Street Journal poll asking if online gaming (including online poker) should be authorized: click here
- Let’s all send a prefilled tweet asking Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to oppose the proposed poker room ban: click here
Join PPA
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 Johnny Hughes! 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 (4/29): As mentioned above, we had a terrific webcast on GiGse and on North Carolina. Listen and/or download the podcast here and on iTunes here.
- PokerNewsBoy (4/29): “PPA Check-In with Rich Muny: Legislation Abroad.” I sat down with PNB’s Steve Ruddock for our regular print interview on the poker advocacy effort. Read here.
- Fifth Street Radio (4/28): I sat down with host Mark Hoke to share all that PPA is doing. I come on at time point 0:46:33 of part 1. 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
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