February 20th, 2014
By Poker Players Alliance
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Weekly Update from Rich Muny, VP of Player Relations
Last week, I discussed how one can sense the desperation in Venetian / Las Vegas Sands and CEO Sheldon Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling’s all-out approach, as their efforts to date have clearly not produced the groundswell of opposition to online poker that they had hoped. In fact, their efforts have actually aided the push for licensed US poker by giving us a platform. I also mentioned that Adelson will fight harder, reaching out to individual anti-poker lawmakers in an attempt to create an appearance of growing opposition, while simultaneously making state-by-state advocacy more challenging.
We saw some of this a few days ago, when Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal unfortunately chose to come out against online poker across America. He even suggested that licensed online poker in other states would result in people in his state playing on those sites, this despite the success of geo-located licensed US sites keeping out out-of-state players, thus justifying (in his mind, anyway) Congress shutting down state-licensed sites. Jindal doesn’t mention poker by name, but it is clear from the article that he means poker too. I encourage you to please take a moment to post your thoughts to his anti-poker op-ed here.
Additionally, it is clear that Sheldon Adelson is continuing to seek Congressional supporters for his Internet poker ban bill. Rumors abound that he has found a sponsor in the Senate and is seeking a bipartisan cosponsorship.
What does all this mean? Well, as PPA Executive Director John Pappas and I said last week, it just means PPA and the poker community will continue fighting harder too! Every attack presents incredible opportunities to push our message and to advocate for our cause. All we players and enthusiasts have to do it seize them for maximum gain.
PA Update
Last week, I mentioned that PA State Rep. Mario Scavello had outlined a plan to criminalize online poker in Pennsylvania, calling for jail time for poker players. PA State Rep. Mike Tobash proudly announced his support in his newsletter and Adelson’s coalition immediately released a statement characterizing criminalization of online poker playing as “a step in the right direction.”
Since then, the poker community inundated Rep. Scavello and Rep. Tobash’s Facebook pages with their thoughts on why this is a bad idea. Rep. Scavello, to his credit, apparently gave this serious thought and replied with the following statement:
Good morning all! I believe I have given everyone an equal opportunity to vent…Some have polite some have been down right nasty. I have made my notes. The Pa Senate is in the process of doing a complete study of all types of gaming which includes online gaming.
I will hold off pushing my legislation until the study is complete. If anyone of you would like to stay in touch and communicate in a rational way about this issue send me an e-mail at [email protected] I will leave these posts on for another day…..” |
While Reps. Scavello and Tobash have certainly not become poker supporters, this is certainly welcome news for the Pennsylvania poker community.
Webcast: Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny
Former Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA) will join me live on the next Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny webcast (Monday, 2/24) to discuss the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection. This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring poker journalist Marco Valerio and Wendeen Eolis of Eolis International Group (who also writes a regular column for Poker Player Newspaper).
The program airs live Monday at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on OnTilt Radio. Each show features great guests and the best discussion on poker legislation. Please be sure to tune in here each week for the live show!
This Monday’s show featured an interview with PPA Texas State Director Matt Allen. If you missed the webcast, I hope you will listen to or download the free podcast and check it out!
- Directly downloadable MP3 file (right click to save, left click to listen)
- Free iTunes download
15 Attorneys General Sent a Letter to Congress; Does Your AG Support or Oppose Your Rights?
On February 4, 2014 fifteen state attorneys general (and the AG from Guam) sent a letter to Congressional leaders calling for a nationwide ban on Internet poker and other Internet gaming. For weeks, the poker community contacted their attorneys general and, as I mentioned in a prior update, 35 of them rejected this letter and the call for an Internet poker prohibition. Several thousand tweets, emails and phone calls were delivered, and it made a difference. Thank you!
PPA has a new webpage with a new tweet to send to your state attorney general. Please take a moment to visit the page and take action. It is important that we thank those who stood with us and remind those who oppose us that we have taken notice. Please take action here!
Lock Poker Issues
As I mentioned in the last update, players have been experiencing difficulties in withdrawing money from Lock Poker for some time. Again, the poker-Black Friday offshore US-facing online poker market has been caveat emptor, so every player choosing such a site needs to be vigilant.
PPA continues to call on Lock Poker to do the right thing and to play its players. I encourage everyone to read the thread on Two Plus Two regarding Lock Poker’s payment problems before making a deposit there.
PPA Twitter Town Hall
On Thursday, February 27th, from 6:30 to 7 PM, PPA will host its first ever Twitter town hall.
This is your chance to ask poker related questions and get a response directly from PPA Executive Director John Pappas. Twitter town halls are a simple way for followers to have their questions answered directly in an informal social environment. This town hall will allow PPA to connect directly with its supporters and give you a chance to get real insider information from John Pappas.
All you have to do is tweet your questions to @PPAPoker using the hashtag #AskPPA. It is that simple! We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to have your questions answered on February 27th.
Join PPA
Annual PPA Membership is the smartest bet for the future of our game. Join or renew today for only $15 to receive the great benefits of membership and to help us continue the fight for our rights as poker players!
Social Media
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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.
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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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