The UIGEA, the PPA, and What You Can Do!
Reviving Online Poker for US Players
Have you heard of the Poker Player’s Alliance (PPA)?
If not, it is a 900,000-member group that materialized back in September 2006 following the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The purpose of the PPA was to gather those passionate about poker in one place, so they could work together to fight for the rights of online poker players in the United States.
Back in October, 2007, 100 active PPA members paid a friendly visit to Washington, D.C. to speak with congressmen about the fairness of the UIGEA. Professional poker players like Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Chris Moneymaker, Vanessa Rousso, and Chris Ferguson, to name some of the most prominent ones, made appointments for meetings with senators and congressmen. In only 30 minutes, Howard Lederer had won the support of Senator Johyn Sununu, of New Hampshire, Lederer’s home state. Since then, Lederer has made two additional trips to D.C. and Annie Duke, his sister, has proven to be an active voice for poker on capital hill.
The argument these players take with them is that poker is not an addictive problem, but rather a game of skill that has become a profession. It is not like slots or lotteries, which are based merely on the luck of the draw, and it is not hard for the congressmen to realize where they are coming from. The request is simple. The PPA and its supporters are asking that poker be an exception to the UIGEA. They are not asking for online gambling to be legalized; in fact, they don’t say one word in the defense of online casinos or sports betting sites, including horse racing. They care about one game and one game only, and that game is poker. They wish to only make online poker legal, and it looks as though they may be making progress!
What can you do to help? As easily as you are sitting here, or playing on a table at Cakepoker.com, you can email your congressmen and tell him about your concern with poker being included in the UIGEA. Let them know that you are not a threat to society, but an everyday Joe with a love for a game of skill called poker. Because most, if not all, politicians are not poker players, they just don’t understand. Click on one or both of the links below to find your local congressmen and senators, then send them an email asking for them to please vote to exempt poker from the UIGEA. Every voice counts!
You can look up and contact your US Representative right here via this link: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
You will need your 6-digit zip code, plus the 4-digit zip code extension, which you can look up here: http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp
To contact your Senators, click here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt (You’ll have to put in your address and then click on “Contact” once you find the correct Senator.)
If you want more information, there is lots of political talking points, a letter already drafted that you can send your congressman, and other political stuff at pokerplayersalliance.org, or click here!
You can even register to vote here!
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