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Weekly Update from Rich Muny, VP of Player Relations
The first four months of 2015 have certainly been a continuation of the poker roller coaster. After closing out 2014 by sinking casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s Internet poker ban lame duck effort, we saw that RAWA is clearly alive and well for 2015, this time even getting a hearing in a House subcommittee. Fortunately, thanks to our combined efforts of aggressive lobbying and terrific, dedicated grassroots activists, the hearing was far from the “slam dunk” for which Adelson’s cronies hoped. To the contrary, the hearing is seen as a victory for poker.
2015 has also seen important progress made on the state level, as well and industry wide. California and Pennsylvania both have good, positive poker bills moving forward. Just as importantly, Caesars, the world’s largest gaming company, is now supportive of an inclusive online poker industry. Having all the stakeholders working together is incredibly important moving forward.
While much has happened in 2014, the most important fact still remains. PPA is only as strong as the support we receive from players and enthusiasts like you. Without your activism and support, we cannot hope to accomplish our goals on Capitol Hill or in the states.
Please consider making a contribution to PPA today. We do not ask for this lightly. We know that your time and your money are incredibly valuable. When we ask you to consider giving us both of those things, know that we strive every day to earn that support through direct action. We hope you continue to feel strongly enough about this issue to make the decision to support the PPA financially.
To donate today, please visit our donate page here. Thank you. Here’s PPA Executive Director John Pappas on this important issue:
California Online Poker Hearing
I have great news to share. Monday’s hearing before the California Assembly’s Governmental Operations Committee on legislation to authorize online poker was a resounding success. The bill was passed out of committee 20-0!
PPA State Director Steve Miller testified before the committee on the importance of regulating online poker in the Golden State, doing a terrific job representing PPA and the poker community. This was Steve’s second time testifying before CA lawmakers on the online poker issue, his first back in 2010 before the CA Senate Governmental Organization Committee.
While this is great news, it unfortunately does not mean passage of legislation is imminent. There are still many hurdles for this bill to clear, but having unanimous support for the concept of licensed online poker is tremendous, and bodes well moving forward.
If you missed the live hearing audio feed, I encourage you to listen to the hearing here.
Webcast: Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny
On this week’s Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny webcast, I was joined live by professional poker player Maria Ho for a terrific chat on women in poker and overall poker advocacy. This was followed by a panel chat with activists Curtis Woodard and Gail Schiffli on the CA online poker hearing and the need for 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 each week on OnTilt Radio. Starting next week. the show moves to Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Each show features great guests and the best discussion on poker legislation. Please be sure to tune in each week!
Social Media
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Thank you for your continued support!
Proud to play,
Rich Muny
[email protected]
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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