Poker Politics – Poker Players Unite This Election Year

By Cristina Lakey on Jun 21, 2008 with Comments 0

Poker players have become the newest lobby group to target Washington, D.C. With poker, both land-based and online, in a partial legal state in the United States, the Poker Players Alliance is circulating an online campaign headlined by a website with the election themed name Poker 2008.

The website features a video with professional poker players such as Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson urging poker players to vote. The video starts with the message “The PPA recognizes political power comes in voters.”

Although there is no federal law prohibiting online poker, some states do have laws making online gambling a criminal act. The PPA states increasing crackdowns from Washington and those states for poker and online gambling, including the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, prompting the need for a united political front.

According to the website, The PPAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mission is “to establish favorable laws that provide poker players with a secure, safe and regulated place to play. Through education and awareness the PPA will keep this game of skill, one of AmericaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s oldest recreational activities, free from egregious government intervention and misguided laws.”

With the November 4th Presidential election date fast approaching, the efforts of both the pro- and anti-gambling campaigns will intensify.