The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the game, announced with some satisfaction this week that membership has more than doubled since the U.S. House of Representatives voted to ban online poker.
PPA spokesmen revealed that current membership figures are around
75 000 and growing. President Michael Bolcerek attributes the stunning
growth to the recent attempts by Congress to prohibit Internet gambling
in the United States.
"This large jump in membership shows that American poker
players are coming to the defense of a game they love. With the rising
threat to the online game, poker players are starting to become politically
savvy," said Bolcerek. "More than 70 million
people in the United States enjoy poker. In a day and age where computers
dominate our daily lives, we must embrace rather than criminalize
advances in technology that allow us the opportunity to play this
long-established pastime on the Internet. The right approach is regulation
of online poker, not prohibition of America's card game."
Earlier this month, the U. S. House of Representative approved legislation
that would block payments from both banks and credit card companies
to online gambling sites. The bill, known as the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act 2006 (H.R. 4111), has the potential to deny
access to gaming sites altogether and force Web site operators to
become watchdogs for the federal government. While outlawing Internet
poker, the bill exempts other forms of online gambling such as horse
racing, fantasy sports and Internet lotteries.
Legislation similar to H.R. 4111 is now being pushed in the U.S. Senate.
"These membership numbers send a message to Congress that
poker has a strong following in this country. As the organization
continues to grow in members and influence, we fully intend to make
these tens of thousands of new voices heard in the halls of Congress,"
said Bolcerek.