Poker Players Alliance

(more…)

excerpt:

It was only a matter of time before the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) became involved in the Republican National Convention (RNC), which kicks off on September 1st at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the RNC, the PPA will be reaching out to members of Congress who have historically not been friendly to legalized internet gambling in the United States. The Republican Party led the charge to pass the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006 and, at a recent hearing, forced the law’s ambiguity to continue. This time around, the PPA has partnered with the American Gaming Association (AGA) to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

(more…)

excerpt:

FARIBAULT — A recent study says that gambling is becoming an addiction among high school students, but local school officials say they don’t see it happening here.

According to a 2007 Minnesota Student Survey, more than 60 percent of 12th-grade boys said they played cards for money. Nationwide, 4 to 8 percent of teens are projected to already have a gambling issue, while another 10 to 15 percent are said to be at risk for a developing a problem, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

So far, any indication of a problem in Faribault isn’t evident, said Bob Stepaniak, superintendent of the Faribault School District.

(more…)

David Bischoff thinks he got a raw deal last year when state gambling regulators raided his bowling alley, shut down his weekly Texas Hold’em poker tournament and confiscated his cards and chips.

For months afterward, the threat of criminal charges hung over Bischoff - and his card tables sat vacant - until prosecutors concluded that Minnesota’s laws against poker were too vague to enforce.

Minnesota is now one of several states in which legislators are looking to rewrite their laws to strengthen their hand against card games at a time when poker is becoming an all-out craze.

“These are just people who have been watching poker on TV and they want to come out and play and be like the people on TV,” said Bischoff, whose tournaments are up and running again. “It’s not about spending money and winning money. It’s just about the competition and seeing who can be the best.”

The game at the center of the poker mania is Texas Hold’em, in which players are dealt two cards each and can use five community cards flipped over in the middle of the table to make the best hand.

As the popularity of the game has grown, so have problems for gambling regulators.

In Iowa, a couple of American Legion posts heeded warnings and halted their regular tournaments rather than jeopardize their charitable gaming licenses. A similar concern led a firehouse outside of Pittsburgh to call off its games.

Police in Wyoming started breaking up Texas Hold’em tournaments in bars, and the state’s attorney general advised that the events were probably illegal. In Texas - where the game thrived in smoky back rooms before becoming a hit on cable TV - prosecutors are questioning whether bars are improperly profiting from tournaments.

“The popularity of the poker shows has created a whole new beast for us as far as regulations,” said David Werning of Iowa’s Department of Inspections and Appeals.

Click here to go to the article and read more.