In a rather alarming headline broken by Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Vice President of Player Relations Rich TheEngineer Muny on Tuesday afternoon, a GOP platform entitled "Renewing American Values" calls for the prohibition of internet gambling. The platform was finalized on Tuesday night with the anti-internet gambling language included.What does the platform say? And why should internet gamblers and online poker players be concerned? Text found on the third page of the 11-page document reads in part, "Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support the prohibition of gambling over the internet and call for the reversal of the Justice Department's decision distorting the formerly accepted meaning of the Wire Act that could open the door to internet betting."
Last December, just two days before Christmas, the U.S. Department of Justice decreed that the Wire Act only applies to online wagering on sports, seemingly absolving internet poker. Just a few days ago, poker also received a pass from the Illegal Gambling Business Act (IGBA). In that decision, a Federal judge said that poker is a game of skill and therefore does not fit the description of illegal gambling under IGBA.
The GOP platform continues by concluding, "The internet must be made safe for children." It then dives into protecting minors online from "predators," "sex offenders," "child pornography," and "obscenity."
Pappas (pictured) reacted to the strong language by telling PocketFives in an exclusive statement, "The one-time party of individual freedom and personal liberty has once again shown their abandonment of these core principles. Ironically, it is House Republicans who are leading the charge for an accountable and regulated market for internet poker. Those who formulate the GOP platform are clearly out of sync when it comes to their own elected officials. Ultimately, the platform is nothing more than a political statement. The real test will be if Republicans and all of Congress can put politics aside and do what they can to protect families and consumers by enacting HR 2366 this year."Republican Congressman Joe Barton, who calls Texas home and will be running for reelection in November, introduced HR 2366, the Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act, last June. However, there has not been a considerable movement on the bill, which has received 30 cosponsors. It approves online poker at the Federal level and its best shot at being passed into law appears to be during the so-called "lame duck" Congressional session after the general election has concluded.
One might wonder whether poker, if decreed a game of skill, will be under fire in the GOP platform as it currently stands. To answer that question, Muny posted on Twitter, "They are including poker IMO. The platform calls for a return to the pre-Dec. interpretation of the Wire Act."
Read the entire GOP platform on "Renewing American Values."
