Poker Players Alliance

Joe Brennan is the President and CEO of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA), at the recent Next Generation in Gambling Conference in Montreal, Mr. Brennan took the time to speak with iGaming News about iMEGA’s missions and why they are opposed to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA)

(more…)

excerpt:

Conyers, who is uncontested for re-election this year, chairs the House Judiciary Committee, with jurisdiction over gambling issues. He’s now the fourth-biggest recipient of contributions from gambling and casino interests in the House — and the top non-Nevadan.

(more…)

excerpt:

On Wednesday night, September 3rd, all eyes in the poker world will be focused squarely on Minneapolis, Minnesota, the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC). John McCain, the Republican nominee for President of the United States, made waves on Friday by announcing that first-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would be his running mate. McCain will formally accept his nomination this week at the RNC, which begins on Monday. On Wednesday, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), in conjunction with the American Gaming Association, will hold a charity poker tournament benefiting the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

(more…)

excerpt:

Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) — U.S. poker players have anted up for another high-stakes game — lobbying.

Trying to overturn a 2006 U.S. ban on online poker, gamblers have started a lobbying group, established a political action committee, and promoted their effort to politicians by holding poker tournaments at the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions.

(more…)

excerpt:

On October 13, 2006, President Bush signed into law the SAFE Port Act. Buried within this legislation dealing with port security issues was a section entitled the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The UIGEA, which had literally been added at the eleventh hour, has been the source of a great deal of confusion and debate regarding its applicability to internet gambling. The UIGEA did not actually outlaw internet gambling. Rather, it prohibited the transfer of funds from United States financial institutions to internet gambling sites that were not defined in the Act as “legal’ sites (i.e. sites devoted to fantasy sports, online lotteries, and horse/harness racing). The effect of this act has been to move most internet gambling sites off shore and to create confusion for financial institutions whose clients seek to use such sites.

(more…)

excerpt:

Denver — Not long after Congress passed a ban on Internet gambling, PR man John Pappas knew he had to be here at the Democratic National Convention.

Pappas represented online poker players. Their ragtag Poker Players Alliance had been stunned by Congress’ midnight approval of the ban late in 2006.

Internet gamblers had been powerless to block the bill. They were only loosely affiliated. They often knew one another only by their online nicknames.

(more…)

excerpt:

This fall the House Financial Services Committee is finally expected to release its regulations for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was signed into law in 2006; banks are anxiously awaiting clarity on a number of fronts, particularly what will entail illegal gambling and what happens if they mistakenly block legal transactions.

The issues are so thorny that House Financial Services panel Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced legislation designed to delay the implementation of said regulations, but the committee rejected the bill during the summer.

(more…)

excerpt:

As the Republican Convention looms in the near future, the Republican Platform Committee has been busy trying to hammer out the details for the 2008 campaign platform.

Initially it looked like the party may have decided to drop their opposition to online gambling from the official line, but CQ Politics reported on Tuesday, the language has once again been added.

(more…)

excerpt:

One of those interesting online gambler political initiatives took place over the last few days when the Poker Players Alliance suggested to US fans that the Republican Party Platform Committee might be a good place to make their views known (see previous Online-Casinos.com/InfoPowa report). The Platform Committee is responsible for presenting the party’s platform or manifesto, and runs a website where suggestions and comments on what should or should not be on the platform can be posted.

(more…)

excerpt:

Putting his own G-rated spin on a classic George Carlin riff, longtime Las Vegas sports gambler Kelso Sturgeon likes to say he makes sure to avoid the polls each Election Day.

Instead, he goes to a local casino to play video poker.

That way, Sturgeon figures, at least his activity on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November stands a chance of generating some kind of a positive outcome.

(more…)