Help the PPA fight the new bills in congress aimed at banning online poker

[NateVest]

Join the PPA

We can’t win the fight for your poker rights without the proper financial support of the poker community. Whether you live in New Jersey, or New Mexico, being a 2014 PPA member is the smart bet for the future of the game. Join or renew today for only $15.00 and receive great benefits of membership.

Take Action: Fight Back Against Online Poker Prohibition Effort | Poker Players Alliance

[NateVest]

Meet your Representative and Both Senators

There is no greater form of advocacy than a face-to-face meeting with your lawmaker or their staff. From April 11 to April 27th all of Congress is on break and most lawmakers will be home working in their state and district offices. This is a perfect time for you to reach out and schedule a meeting or find out if there is a public event you can attend. You can also go the office during normal business hours (without and appointment) and leave a packet of information. We’ve made it easy for you to meet your lawmaker. Click the links below and make a plan today!

Schedule an appointment
Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to schedule an official meeting with your lawmaker in your home town.

http://theppa.org/static/pdf/How%20t...20Congress.pdf

If you schedule a meeting, download and print this packet of material to give to the lawmaker or staff.

http://www.theppa.org/static/pdf/PPA_Packet.pdf

Attend a Public Appearance
Call the local office of your Representative and Senators and ask if they have any upcoming public appearances (i.e. Town hall meeting, ribbon cutting ceremony, etc.)

Go to the public meeting and talk directly with your lawmaker about the issue. Feel free to bring these talking points.

District Office “Drop Off”
Feel free to just stop by your lawmaker’s district offices during normal business hours and leave this packet of information with the receptionist along with your contact information.

It doesn't hurt to ask if the lawmaker or a member of his staff would be available for an impromptu meeting. If not, just leave the materials behind and promise to follow-up.

Remember, as a taxpayer, this is your office too!

[NateVest]

Oppose S. 2159 and H.B. 4301
Prohibition is Bad Public Policy

The Wire Act does not and should not prohibit online poker…

 On December 23 2011, after careful review of relevant case law and legislative history, the U.S.
Department of Justice (DoJ) released a memorandum clarifying their position on the Wire Act.
The DoJ found that the Wire Act does not apply to non-sports betting, thus allowing states to
consider their own legislation to license and regulate online poker.

 S. 2159 and H.B. 4301 claim to “restore” the Wire Act, yet these bills would perversely expand
the scope and intent of this law. The legislative history shows that Congress was primarily
concerned with individuals using telephones to place interstate bets on sporting events. In 1961,
sport betting was both the primary form of gambling carried out over the wires and the primary
source of revenue for organized crime gambling operations.

 The highest court to address the issue of the applicability of the Wire Act to different forms of
gaming—the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit—has held that the Wire Act
applies only to sports betting (In re MasterCard Int’l Inc., 313 F.3d 257, 262-63 (5th Cir. 2002)).

 The current DOJ interpretation of the Wire Act is the correct interpretation; and it is supported
by legal scholars, federal case law and the legislative history.
Prohibition does not work…

 S. 2159 and H.B. 4301 amount to a misguided prohibition that will not work and could have
serious unintended consequences. These bills will deny responsible, regulated companies from
operating and allow an unaccountable offshore market to flourish in the United States.
 Prohibition will not keep kids safe: only through regulation can we ensure that state of the art
age verification software is in place to identify and restrict access for minors. These safeguards
would not exist under a prohibition.

 Prohibition will not protect against problem gambling: regulation requires that online gaming
operators implement more effective and sophisticated tools to prevent and combat problem
gaming than even brick-and-mortar casinos. Prohibition requires that none of these measures
be put in place.

 Prohibition will not deter criminals: in fact, it only plays into the hands of the criminal element,
just as it did in the 1920s when alcohol was banned. It is far better for the players’ financial fate
if the safety and security of Internet gaming transactions.

[NateVest]

How to Schedule a Meeting with Your Member of Congress

1. Using the search tools provided by the PPA call the office of your
lawmaker closest to you. Let them know you are a constituent and
that you want to meet with your Representative/Senator or
appropriate staffer. Tell them why you want to meet to discuss S.
2159 (Senate) or H.R. 4301 (House). To help identify your
Member of Congress click here.

https://pokerplayersalliance.capwiz....ficials/?lvl=C

2. You will likely be referred to the office scheduler and they will
either arrange a meeting over the phone or ask that you submit a
written meeting request (usually via email).

3. Before your meeting review the PPA Talking Points regarding S.
2159 and H.R. 4301 [link]. And print off the entire information
packet to leave behind when you have your meeting.

4. Arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled meeting to make sure
you are on time. Try your best to keep your meeting between 15-20
minutes long.

5. Be prepared to tell your poker story and why you hope the
lawmaker will oppose the Internet poker ban legislation and
instead support licensing and regulation.

6. Be courteous and respectful even if the lawmaker or staffer doesn’t
agree with your point of view. Remember a good dialog is just as
important as trying to win him/her over.

7. After you meeting, send the PPA an email to [email protected]

[royalpat]

i will follow up and do my best again you would think it would be over by now

[NateVest]

Weekly Update: The National Call to Action Continues… | Poker Players Alliance

In the last update, PPA Executive Director John Pappas and Rich Muny told us about the National Call to Action. I am very happy to report that many players are responding enthusiastically. Thousands of tweets and emails demanding our rights have been sent to lawmakers already. We ARE being heard on Capitol Hill!

For this week, please be sure to finish up the tweets and to ask your friends and family to send the prewritten, fully editable letter to Congress. I know you will do that. I also ask that you call your lawmakers and make a personal visit to ask for support for poker. I know the latter two are harder and take time and commitment, but it really is worth it. A single face-to-face communication with your lawmaker is one of the most impactful actions you can take for poker. Congress will be in recess for another week so there is still time for you to arrange an in person visit in your hometown. I hope you can make time for this important action. It makes a huge difference!

[sprocketdog]

There a hundreds of ILL Minded Laws, that hurt people, I would feel like a fool, to spend all the time required by PPA to Make Online Poker legal. Knowing the exact same time spent, could really help someone, other than myself.

[zawvc3]

poker should be legal it is a very fun form of gambling

[capnjim]

unless the feds can line there pocketts from it online poker will not be aloud

[NateVest]

With the poker community focused on defending against Sheldon Adelson's ban attempts, Wednesday's online poker hearing in California was certainly a breath of fresh air. It also served to remind us that we are still on offense, with the momentum. In fact, Las Vegas Sands was relegated to testifying 32nd out of the 33 witnesses at the hearing and was a complete non-factor in the discussion about the future of Internet poker in California.

The hearing was overwhelmingly positive. 30 of the witnesses were in favor of licensing online poker in California, one was neutral, and just two (including Las Vegas Sands) were opposed.

The discussion focused on the specifics of how Internet poker regulation will happen and who should be allowed to offer the game. Some suggested PokerStars should be blocked by a "bad actor" clause, while others wished for regulators to determine suitability for licensing, rather than it being a political decision. Yet others pointed out the date chosen passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was arbitrary, as UIGEA did not ban anything (it was an enforcement measure) and that sites offering services in the US prior to UIGEA's passage were given a free pass. There was also considerable debate about which incumbent California gaming operators should be licensed Internet gaming operators. The state?s racetracks made fervent arguments to be included in the legislation.

PPA Executive Director John Pappas was invited to testify, but conflicts prevented his attendance. We offered and alternate to represent the players at the hearing. However, with so many pro-poker voices already confirmed to attend, a substitute for Pappas was not given the opportunity this time.

This was a terrific hearing that bodes well for getting more states on board with authorized online poker.

PPA Letter to Lock Poker

Due to the continued cash-out issues players are experiencing with Lock Poker, PPA today sent a letter to Lock demanding action on this issue. I encourage you to read this letter here.

In the letter, signed by PPA Executive Director John Pappas, PPA Litigation Support Director Patrick Fleming and me, we demand answers to the following:
Does Lock Poker keep players? funds segregated from operating funds? If so, what mechanism is used to accomplish this separation?
Does Lock Poker have, or will it be implementing, a system to organize its payment processing so that those who have been waiting the longest will be given priority in future payments?
Does Lock Poker have a timeline of its plan to pay its players in full?
In the meantime, we encourage extreme caution when depositing on Lock Poker. We also strongly encourage affiliates to remove Lock Poker ads and positive reviews. In the current state, these are at best misleading.

Webcast: Poker Advocacy with Rich Muny

On this week's webcast, I was joined by Lori Kolstad, Stacy Matuson and Lesley Amos for a panel discussion on women in poker. We had a terrific discussion and you won't want to miss this!
Directly downloadable MP3 file (right click to save, left click to listen)
Free iTunes download

Play Now

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 at OnTilt Radio-Your Poker Radio Plus Poker Social Network - OnTilt Radio-Your Poker Radio Plus Poker Social Network each week for the live show.

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Thank you for your continued support!