By
Dan |
Published
Nov 09 2007, 02:43 PM
The last legislative news that appeared on PocketFives.com concerned the
Poker Players Alliance Fly In event, a three day affair that brought around 100 PPA members from across the United States to Washington to meet with their members of Congress and staffs about the major bills concerning online poker. The event was a rousing success and received major national media attention. Within only a few weeks, the fruits of the PPA’s labor can be seen.
The Justice Department is holding a hearing about internet gaming on Wednesday, November 14, at 10:00am. This is a huge step for online poker’s future. PocketFives.com sat down with PPA Executive Director John Pappas to get all the details.
Pappas comments on why the Justice Department is holding a hearing about internet gaming in the first place: “The PPA can take credit for this hearing as a result of the fly in event we just held. The Judiciary Committee has always been interested in the issue, but we weren’t able to get them motivated to talk about it. We talked with Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) along with some of our poker pros during the fly in. He pledged to hold a hearing and we’re pleased that’s it’s happening.” If you haven't read PocketFives' wrap-up of the PPA Fly In event, you should bring yourself up to speed. Click here to read the article.
Specific names appearing at the hearing have not yet been officially released, but you can expect a witness who is an expert on WTO policy, a representative from the Department of the Treasury, a representative from the Department of Justice, as well as one Congressman on each side of the issue. Poker pro and PocketFiver Annie Duke will also be in attendance as a witness. Pappas expects hard-hitting questions: “Our goal is to have members of Congress to ask tough questions of the Department of Justice representative about their inconsistent enforcement of internet gaming. We also want them to point to the statute that they used to claim that playing internet poker is illegal. The WTO Expert is there to incite both free trade Republicans and Democrats to action in order to preserve our trading status and fulfill our WTO obligations. In addition, we want to demonstrate there is appropriate and viable age verification software out there. Finally, for Annie Duke, our goal is to distinguish poker as something different than other forms of gaming, show that it’s a skill game, and address the civil liberties issue.”
Chairman Conyers has been a supporter of internet gambling regulation. He signed on this week as a Co-Sponsor of Congressman Robert Wexler’s (D-FL) Skill Game Protection Act. Pappas comments, “Chairman Conyers believes UIGEA is a terrible bill and that regulation is a good approach. I wouldn’t be surprised if, somewhere down the road, he introduces his own legislation.”
This is a giant leap for the PPA: “It’s one of many successes for the PPA. We’ve had bills introduced as well as hearings, but our ultimate goal is to have a vote.” Pappas described the timing of the Judiciary Committee’s hearing as “expedited” and the PPA has been working feverishly over the past week to make sure the appropriate message is relayed within the chambers of the Rayburn Office Building. The PPA has been prepping members of Congress to ask the questions that will help clarify poker’s future. What’s next is uncertain: “A hearing is just one step in the process,” says Pappas. A vote may still be quite some time away, but this is an important initial step to take.
The hearing on Wednesday, November 14th, at 10:00am is open to the public, so if you’re a concerned poker player, make your way to 2141 Rayburn House Office Building. Pappas believes the hearing will be packed, so you’re encouraged to get there early.
Visit the PPA Website for more details.