PPA Putting Pressure on Policymakers

With the recent outlawing of online poker in Washington state and the continued progression of anti-poker legislation on Capitol Hill, The Poker Players Alliance has ratcheted up its efforts this week with some high profile moves.

First, they announced that Howard Lederer has joined the PPA's Board of Directors.  Says Lederer: "The Poker Players Alliance's mission is critically important as the game has increasingly come under attack. The challenge of promoting and protecting poker is the reason I joined the PPA as a member and wanted to get personally involved by joining the PPA Board of Directors."

And Full Tilt Poker, Lederer's online site, sent out an e-newsletter to its players urging them to sign up with the PPA and keep pressure on Capitol Hill, because, "...Legislation moving through Congress right now will stop Americans from playing Internet poker by deputizing banks and Internet service providers to prevent you from accessing poker websites."

In addition, the PPA has teamed with Pocket Fives, a top forum for over 14,000 online poker players, to drive people to speak out today and write their Congressmen to keep online poker legal.

This all comes on the heels of a major media outlet finally taking a pro-online poker stance, as the LA Times addressed the topic over the weekend. After noting the hypocrisy in legislation that bans online wagering and poker but carves out exceptions for horse racing and lotteries, they note, "Legalizing online gambling and regulating the industry — as Britain has done — is the best way to toughen protections against gambling by minors, identify problem gamblers and ensure that online sites are more scrupulous than the back-alley bookie."

PPA prez Michael Bolcerek and his organization are getting great traction to keep anti-gaming legislation from happening. So get involved with the PPA, participate in the Write Your Congressmen Day today over at Pocket Fives, and do what you can to support the PPA's efforts to keep poker legal.

Comments

[snake]

just the protagonist's buns

[BlackSpy]

Any nudity?

[snake]

no

[Jack]

Is there a dramatic scene where high school kid plays poker chicken with local rebel?

[snake]

good comment...

side note: we're actually working on a screenplay right now about a high school kid who's family moves to a small town in Washington State where online poker is illegal. he falls in love with the Bible-thumping minister's daughter and starts teaching his fellow students how to play poker. before you know it they're all banding together to the tune of 'Let's here it for the boy" as they change their repressed town and make poker legal in time for prom.

[Dirk]

I love political activism!
I'm going to climb a tree and starve myself this weekend!

And for the record, all you "W" clowns ought to take note-outlawing poker is yet another religious right/righteous police move the present administration would love to drop on everyone. Whatever happened to republicans who just wanted to shrink government and lower taxes???