Online Gambling Report

December 27, 2007

It is well known that Alfonse D�Amato has been a champion for online poker, and according to the Poker Players Alliance it has been a banner year for them. D�Amato, as Chairman of the PPA, recently released a newsletter stating how he felt the year had gone for online gambling and specifically for online poker � what some of the highs and lows for them were.

D�Amato says that he feels that the fight for online gambling and poker has been gaining momentum, and that with all of the national coverage they have been getting for their fight, it will only increase from here. He says that their organizational efforts have not gone unnoticed and that not only are they gaining momentum at the local and state level, but they are growing exponentially across the US and internationally.

He says that the fight for player�s rights will continue to grow, and that there were several significant moments for the group this year, namely the bills that are currently sitting in various committees that would make online gambling and online poker playing legal. He referenced Barney Frank�s bill which would regulate online gambling; and Robert Wexler�s bill which would make online gambling games that are skill based � such as poker � legal to participate in and exempt them from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

He states that their �Washington Fly-In� was a huge success and that participants were able to meet with the various members of the House and Senate to have their voices heard. These meetings only strengthened the support and commitment for Wexler and Frank�s bills. He referenced Annie Duke�s testimony on behalf of the PPA at a hearing regarding online gambling and how it was a person�s right to play poker. Duke was joined by several politicians and who also spoke in regards to online gambling.

D�Amato says that for now they are focusing on the state level once again, but that they will continue to grow and will not rest until online poker playing is legal again.

 

Back to December 2007 Archive.