If you haven’t heard by now, Republican Presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney (pictured) told a Las Vegas television stationthat he does not support legalized online poker in the United States “because of the social costs and people’s addictive gambling habits.” As you’d expect, a major Presidential candidate coming out against our industry in a public forum did not sit well with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the primary voice for poker players on Capitol Hill.

“Governor Romney’s statement seems to be based on a misperception of regulation and the status quo,” PPA Executive Director John Pappas told PocketFives in an exclusive statement. “We hope to educate him that regulation will mean strong enforcement and meaningful consumer protections, while doing nothing will only exacerbate any perceived problems he has with gaming.”

Also weighing in on Romney’s statement was PPA Executive Vice President of Player Relations Rich TheEngineerMuny, who told PocketFives, “I believe Romney has it wrong here. Licensing and regulation of online poker addresses every concern he mentioned far better than the status quo does. Licensing and regulation will ensure that age verification measures are implemented, consumer protections are provided, and protections for those with excessive gaming habits are mandated. Current law does not provide any protections for anyone.”

Muny added, “With the recent Justice Department determination that the Wire Act applies solely to wagers on sporting events or contests, and not to online poker or online casino gaming, failure to pass Federal online poker legislation would result in a far greater expansion of gaming. That is because, in the absence of Federal legislation, many states will start offering poker and casino gaming on an intrastate basis. Based on Romney’s concerns, one expects he’d be more favorable to a game of skill like poker than casino-style gaming that can be played in a mindless manner.”

Social ills and problem gambling could grow in Romney’s home state of Massachusetts, where land-based casinos may dot the landscape in the near future. According to Businessweek, MGM Resorts International could soon erect a “world-class resort” in Brimfield, Massachusetts, which is a short 65-mile drive down Interstate 90 from Boston. The Massachusetts casino gaming law, which was passed last year, allows for three full-blown casinos in the Commonwealth.

Also coming out against online poker in recent days was Republican Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum (pictured), who told Las Vegas’ “Face to Face” news program on Tuesday, “I’m someone who takes the opinion that gaming is not something that is beneficial, particularly having that access on the internet. Just like we’ve seen from a lot of other things that are ‘vices,’ they tend to grow exponentially as a result of that. It’s one thing to come to Las Vegas and do gaming and participate in the shows and entertainment and that kind of thing. It’s another thing to be able to sit in your home and have access to that. I just think it would be dangerous for our country.”

Santorum went on to say in a three-minute critique of Web gaming, “There are certain things that do cost people a lot of money, cost them their lives, [and] cost them their fortunes that we shouldn’t have available. That’s why we regulate gaming. You have a big commission [in Nevada] that regulates gambling, for a reason. We don’t have it everywhere… I for one don’t think it’s a good thing… A lot of people don’t responsibly gamble and lose a lot and end up in not such great economic straits as a result of that.”

In his daily action plan here on PocketFives, Muny encouraged concerned poker players to reach out to Romney and Santorum on Facebook and Twitter. The Republican caucus in Nevada takes place on Saturday, February 4th.

It should be pointed out that Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul has been a co-sponsor of several pro-online poker bills, including Congressman Joe Barton’s HR 2366, which sets up a framework to legalize and regulate internet poker in the United States. Paul is one of 27 co-sponsors of the bipartisan bill, which was introduced last June but has not found its way out of committee.