THIS IS BEING SENT AS AN EMAIL BLAST TO OUR FULL MEMBERSHIP.

Dear Fellow Poker Player,

I wanted to update you on the status of Congressional efforts to pass legislation which would license and regulate online poker in the U.S. While it remains an open question whether a bill will succeed during the �lame duck� session happening now, I want you to know what we are doing to protect your right to play online poker.

The PPA has been and continues to work night and day on this issue. While many have speculated that the �Tax Bill� would be a likely vehicle for iPoker legislation, because of recent political developments with respect to the tax bill it has become complicated to predict whether that bill is a viable path. I still maintain, as I told the Wall Street Journal yesterday when the rumors circulated that the bill was dead, that nothing is dead until Congress adjourns.

Let me assure you that we have heard and strongly considered the concerns a number of our online poker playing members have raised, specifically regarding the 15 month �blackout period� contained in the draft bills that have circulated in recent days. The blackout period means that upon enactment of the proposed internet poker law there would be fifteen months where NO licensed Internet poker would be available to U.S. players. In all likelihood, some of the web sites where you currently play would leave the market so they can go through the process of obtaining a U.S. license and then re-enter the market after the 15 month blackout period.

Frankly, the proposed blackout period is absurd and the PPA opposes it. And we have fought � and continue to fight � tooth and nail against it. But it is a reality. There will likely be a blackout period of some length included in any legislation that is passed, whether it is in this Congress or future Congresses. Our opponents have been throwing their weight around to get a lengthy blackout period included and, unfortunately, I fear they are winning.

That being said, upon significant analysis, review and reflection, we believe that the long- term benefits of this bill to the poker community make the blackout period a bitter pill we have to swallow. Our goal is to establish a permanent, safe and regulated U.S. online poker market, similar to the European regulatory markets. While many think the status quo works and is fine, it is not a long term solution and cannot last.

Without Federal licensing and regulation, individual states could � and have started � to license play within their borders only, setting up monopolies that will not provide you with the playing experience you�ve come to expect. Or they will ban online poker altogether, like Washington State has done. That is why the PPA encouraged you earlier this week to contact your Senators and voice support a Federal bill before the end of the year.

We believe that the trade off for getting regulated, permanent US online poker market is worth a temporary blackout of some sort. It�s not what we want, either, and it�s not what we pushed for in Congress, and we don�t even like it. But when viewing this from the perspective of maintaining a sustainable Internet poker market the 15 month period is short-term pain for a long-term gain.

This has been a very tedious process and seems to change from moment to moment. As Congress considers bills throughout the remainder of the lame duck, we will continually update you on our progress.

Thank you, as always, for your support and we welcome your thoughts and feedback..

Proud to Play,

John Pappas
Executive Director

If this bill somehow passes I really doubt all sites would pull out of the US market for 15 months.

There would just be too much money to be made serving the US market if the likes of stars and FT pull
out for 15 months. Some of these current 2nd and 3rd tier sites could make a vast Fortune in 15 months.
Plus these "people" are "savvy" enuf to continue to run (and perhaps sacrifice) certain sites while developing or investing in other sites in accordance with the new law to have their cake and eat it too.

effing Harry Reid,,,,We've been playing online poker in the US for how
many years now on the major sites???? And now all of a sudden they
are going to impose a total 15 month band??? unfucking-believable.
Where is Barney Frank and all the other big shots,,Why are they allowing
this to happen?? This isn't a clear infringement on my rights as an American??
Where's the GD President???

So they're going to eliminate the one thing I love to do, from the safety of
my home, that costs me way less than driving 3 hours to the brick and mortar
casino all with the sole purposes of allowing big brother to protect me. unreal.
I'm 46 years old for christ sake, I don't need some out of touch, non poker playing
suit in DC trying to protect me in the online world. Hell, 90% of you morons most
likely haven't even logged in to one of the major sites.

Like I said the other day in a post, It all comes down to MONEY. So Harry and a
few of the Vegas casinos came up with this idiotic idea to get rid of stars and Tilt,
then create an online site from Vegas for US players where it will resemble a smaller
version Cake where we'll have to wait 2 hours for a $5 sng to fill up.

 

Originally Posted by DeaconMike

effing Harry Reid,,,,We've been playing online poker in the US for how
many years now on the major sites???? And now all of a sudden they
are going to impose a total 15 month band??? unfucking-believable.
Where is Barney Frank and all the other big shots,,Why are they allowing
this to happen?? This isn't a clear infringement on my rights as an American??
Where's the GD President???

So they're going to eliminate the one thing I love to do, from the safety of
my home, that costs me way less than driving 3 hours to the brick and mortar
casino all with the sole purposes of allowing big brother to protect me. unreal.
I'm 46 years old for christ sake, I don't need some out of touch, non poker playing
suit in DC trying to protect me in the online world. Hell, 90% of you morons most
likely haven't even logged in to one of the major sites.

Like I said the other day in a post, It all comes down to MONEY. So Harry and a
few of the Vegas casinos came up with this idiotic idea to get rid of stars and Tilt,
then create an online site from Vegas for US players where it will resemble a smaller
version Cake where we'll have to wait 2 hours for a $5 sng to fill up.

Deacon Mike for president but seriously though good post! If this is the land of the free than I should be able to do whatever I want with my money

 

Originally Posted by DeaconMike

effing Harry Reid,,,,

QFT.

The night prior to this years election, I received 2 pre-recorded phone calls from Howard Lederer on behalf of the PPA urging me to vote for Harry Reid as he is a friend of poker players. By poker players, I guess he meant casino operators.

I'll bet ya $2 that Howard didn't know Ol' Harry was
going to add the 15 month blackout to the bill.

And another thing, I'm not the type of person that
blatantly goes after people but if this bill with the 15
month blackout gets passed then the PPA is worthless imo.
I joined and sent my money in a few years back and every
year I thought, is this the year they finally get something
done and we get a decent bill passed? And this is what
we get. It's like the PPA was non-existent.

From the tone of the OP's message it's obvious that they've
accepted the fact that the blackout is just how things go. And
of course they're spinning it like the blackout is a good thing in
the long run. To that I say "BS"

Oh sure, the PPA sent letters, made calls, went to hearings
and spent countless hours working on our behalf,,,,and in
the end it was a futile effort and we're put in our place and
told to assume the position by the suits with the money.

In our political system the PPA doesn't have near the pull of the big casinos. The people with the money in this country call the shots.
http:/http://www.billrini.com/
Someone posted this link on 4, it's worth reading.

I think the blackout is totally political and definitely being pushed for by all the casinos. ( it doesn't benefit anyone but them)

I would love to know what all the poker sites are thinking? Are they just sitting back and waiting? Are they gonna just take it in the ass like party poker - they had to learn something from that cluster fuck.

Money talks and there is plenty out there.

2yrs. without the U.S.A. is gonna fuck them up.

Someone has to know some scoop?

Does the bill allow for PS and FTP to apply for a license during the 2 year ban or do they have to wait 2 years before applying for a license? If they have to wait 2 years to apply, just seeing how the govt works, it's more like a 3-4 year ban.

I absolutely appreciate what the PPA is doing and the way that we must approach regulation. With that said, I 100% hope that the industry doesn't get regulate if it includes a "15 month" Death Period. That's what it is. Plain and simple. For those of us that have ground out a living in this profession while waiting for the economy to turn this is a slap in the face. Since leaving grad school I haven't needed unemployment, welfare or any other programs of that nature. I've paid tens of thousands in taxes from my winnings and have worked to follow the law of the land along the way. Would I love to continue playing poker for the rest of my life as a SIDE income, yes. But given my own current situation, I need poker as a full time job just to stay afloat.

If regulation must come at the expense of a 15 month blackout period, then I will withdraw my support from programs aiming for this measure. I understand that the PPA refers to this as a "bitter pill" to swallow, but with all due respect, that isn't a bitter pill at all - it's cyanide.

Than you will take the status quo right now and just continue playing? What will happen to online poker when the Feds freezes up processors after processors, and online poker is still illegal? I hate this bill as much as anyone does, but we can't continue playing like this with the insecurity of winnings we possibly can't claim. Give some to get some, its karma.

the black out period is absolutely designed to punish the major sites. No doubt. It is also designed to eliminate competition so the new sites can get started. Players will have no choice (other than not play) but to join the new sites.

Obviously the new sites will suck at first and (needlessly) repeat the learning curve that stars and tilt had to go through (proper structures, security breaches, making hand histories available, sychonized breaks, etc etc). If they had to do this while the major players were still in business, the sites would go broke and never get off the ground. So the only way to make sure that caesars.com and wsop.com get off the ground is make damn sure no one else is in the market place who knows what their doing, has brand recognition and a superior product.

And since it is the US polititions making the laws (and the same ones who are swinging from the nuts of the of the current gaming interests in the US) there is NO WAY IN HELL that they are going create an environment that allows foreign competitors an open invitation to come in and kick their ass. Thus the mandatory blackout period.

The only way that we could have avoided a black out period would have been if the major sites had brought a suit against the US and the DOJ upon the occassion of them seizing their funds. This would have forced a ruling to be made by the courts about whether or not Stars or whoever brought the suit forward was actually breaking any laws. Obvioiusly this has has both a potentially huge upside and an enomormous downside. I'm guessing they ulitmately decided doing something like that was too risky and decided that they would ride out the status quo for as long as they could.

 

Originally Posted by bbbbb33

Really don't like the PPA's stance on this being a bitter pill we have to swallow.

Some of us cannot afford to wait 39 months for our predominant source of income to go away.

I'm ok with regulation, I'm against any sort of blackout period that is an obvious scam by Caesers, Harrahs, and Harry Reid. Let them burn.

I can't understand how this benefits them! Can someone lay it out in "even a dumbass can understand" format? If we U.S. players have to wait 39 months to play online poker, doesn't that just MURDER the industry and any interest in the game?!?

 

Originally Posted by Ninemil

Looks like I might be going live pro soon...i guess I can do that for 15 months....?

Yeah I'm sure the casinos will be getting a lot more poker players.

"There will likely be a blackout period of some length included in any legislation that is passed, whether it is in this Congress or future Congresses."

Great. Thx for the exciting news.

 

Originally Posted by Passiveplay

stars and Tilt have a strangle hold on the poker market, so much that other sites can't compete. So they want to block out all sites for 15 months so they can build the software get a business plan ect. In 15 months Harrahs gets a license and gets established in the market while PS, FTP will have to wait another amount of time i've heard two years. When PS FTP finally get to comeback Harrahs will have a strangle hold on the US market (which is huge and profitable) then FTP and Stars will struggle to compete. They can use the money from the US market to expand globally and try to squeeze them out of the global market.

Harrahs should cut the shit, start a World Series of Poker Online with bracelet events. Decent software (which will be easier since they can copy what FTP/Stars does)+Promotion+Bracelet event = Profit and market share

OK, I can see that. Thanks.

I still think that while they are doing their 15-month B.S. they are draining interest in the game, which means when it's time for their site to launch they won't get much action...wouldn't it be smart to just compete against PS and FTP with a very smart advertising campaign (Play at home, feel safe with your money, support the U.S. angles)?