December 6, 2007

Dear [poker player]:

Thank you for contacting me regarding internet poker and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (UIGA). I appreciate hearing from you.

The UIGA was included in the final passage of H.R. 4954, the "Port Security Improvement Act of 2006," and was signed into law (P.L. 109-347) by President Bush on October 13, 2006.

I support placing a ban on internet gambling, and I supported the final passage of this bill. The National Gambling Impact Study Commission documented, and Senate and House hearings confirmed, that internet gambling was growing at an explosive rate. Because the internet can be used anonymously, the danger existed that access to internet gambling would be abused by underage children. In most instances, a would-be gambler merely needed to fill out a registration form in order to play. Most sites relied on the registrant to disclose his or her correct age and the sites made little or not attempt to verify the accuracy of the information. Underage gamblers could easily use their parents' credit cards or even their own credit and debit cards to register and set up accounts.

While I believe P.L 109-347 is a good law intended to protect children and reduce crime, I do understand the concerns of many internet poker players who will be affected by this new law. Should legislation regarding a poker "skill game exemption" come before the Senate for debate, I will give your views consideration.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance to you in the future. In the meantime, if you would like to receive timely e-mail alerts regarding the latest congressional actions and my weekly e-newsletter, please sign up via my web site at: www.chambliss.senate.gov.

Saxby Chambliss

And, his assertions are incorrect. Underage players cannot play for real money online by merely checking a box stating that they're over 18. Identity verification technology to prevent underage gaming is out there and has been for years. The idea that people can anonymously play online is is just a lie perpetrated by the opponents of legal gaming.

As for an underage gambler using his parents' credit card, he couldn't play unless he had an awful lot information on his parents' employment and residence history, including mortgages and bank account numbers. Then, perhaps the underage player could get online -- for a couple of weeks...until the bill comes. Of course, this same person could much more easily shop online, or do any number of things with the credit card. It's parents' responsibility to control their credit cards and their computers...not the U.S. government's.

The bottom line is that the bills in Congress that explicitly legalize Internet poker require age verification. It's that simple.

I've spend a considerable amount of time with Saxby. The only way you'll get him to move on an issue is to say you have a huge block vote for him if he does what you want. IMO, he's 100% motivated staying in office, so he'll do what it takes. If we could draw up a huge list of names in GA that support online poker, then there's a world of possibilites.