December 4th, 2014
By Poker Players Alliance
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Weekly Update from Rich Muny, VP of Player Relations
Last week, I shared the terrific news that the House Judiciary Committee rejected calls to hold a lame duck hearing on Sheldon Adelson’s bill to ban Internet poker across America. With this, Adelson’s sole remaining lame duck path is to get his bill attached to must-pass legislation.
I have great news to share this week as well. Earlier this week, the Fraternal Order of Police sent Congressional leaders a letter outlining their opposition to a national ban on online poker and online gaming. I encourage you to check this out here.
This action follows their 2012 letter to Congress in support of licensing and regulation of online poker and online gaming. That letter is here.
Also earlier this week, Citizens Against Government Waste sent a letter to Congressional leaders in opposition to the Adelson bill, with specific opposition to passing it in the lame duck session. I hope you will take a moment to read this important letter.
PPA will continue working to line up opponents to Adelson’s ban bill while pushing for state legislation authorizing online poker. With all of us working together to push back the Adelson threat, we can keep this out of the lame duck, ensuring his ban bill has to go down the much tougher road of full committee hearings and freestanding votes if it is to go anywhere.
Take Action
Please take a moment to make and like pro-poker comments on lawmaker Facebook pages. This can be as simple as posting, “Please oppose efforts to strip states of their right to authorize online poker. Thank you,” “I agree. It would be wrong to rush an Internet poker ban through the lame duck session,” etc.
If you don’t use Facebook, please consider creating an account for actions such as this. It’s a terrific tool that we can leverage greatly in our fight. If you prefer not to, please take this opportunity to phone your lawmakers to tell them to support poker. Simply click here and scroll to item #3 Thanks!
- Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
- Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
- Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Former Lawmakers Rip Online Poker, Get Roughly 100% of the Facts Wrong
Last week, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and Adelson paid mouthpiece former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) thoroughly attacked online poker on Huckabee’s Fox News show. Bizarrely, they discussed Adelson talking points as if they were facts, suggesting that licensed poker sites target children and that geolocation is completely ineffectual – without a single shred of data, of course. Sen. Lincoln further suggested that an unnamed child playing on a site (presumably an offshore site, but she did not seem to mind if people conflated the two) ran up a $20,000 bill that they said was uncontestable. Huckabee then said that any congressman who did not support stripping states of the right to authorize online poker should be thrown out of office!
I am not sure on what planet Huckabee and Lincoln reside, but the experience with licensed sites is 180 degrees opposite of what those two discussed. That is why it is so important for all of us to watch and respond to such discussion. Otherwise, our opponent will continue making up their own facts as they go along.
I encourage you to check out the show here:
Webcast: Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny
On this week’s Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny webcast, I was joined live by PPA Executive Director John Pappas for a one-on-one discussion on the lame duck session, Sheldon Adelson’s push for a national online poker prohibition, and steps we can take as a community to stand up for our rights. Following my chat with John, Nolan Dalla and poker reporter Steve Ruddock joined me for a terrific panel chat on Nolan and Steve’s recent columns and poker advocacy. You won’t want to miss this.
- Directly downloadable MP3 file (right click to save, left click to listen)
- Free iTunes download
Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny 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 for the Season 4 premiere next Monday.
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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