So What's Going on at the PPA?
After President Bush signed the Safe Port Act and the accompanying Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) into law on that fateful Friday the 13th last October, the Poker Players Alliancehas been in full swing trying to grow its numbers and influence as well as mobilize its current members. In the past two months, the organization has met with and informed the 110th Congress about all things online poker. Recently, a grassroots campaign was launched in order to thrust online poker further towards an exemption from the UIGEA. PPA President Michael Bolcerek provides his insight into the current state of affairs.
The foundation for a successful grassroots campaign lies in the development of manpower at the local level. The PPA set out earlier this year by e-mailing each of its members – now 160,000 strong – looking for volunteers to fight the fight in their local Congressional districts through direct interaction with lawmakers and media outlets. Bolcerek comments, “It’s been good so far. We’ve had members reaching out to local media. My mother showed me her local paper, the Fresno Bee, which had a letter in it about the PPA written by a local representative of ours. She read it and she showed her friends. That’s the kind of action we want them to take.” Over 250 applications for local representatives were gathered in total and the development of materials for them to use is now in full swing.
Meeting with members of Congress and their staffs has also been a paramount focus for Bolcerek, who had just spent the previous three days on Capitol Hill. “We’ve had some very positive developments with the new Congress. Things are moving ahead nicely. It’s a long process; it’s a process of education. There’s misperception from both Democrats and Republicans about the fairness of game, as well as what sites do and don’t do to combat age verification. Part of our role is also to help change the perception of online poker operators and how they treat their players. No one is getting cheated.”
News has also surfaced in the state of Washington concerning efforts to remove completely or alter the gambling legislation that was passed there that essentially makes internet gambling a felony. The possibility of lowering the severity of the punishment from a felony to a misdemeanor for breaking the gambling law did not sit well with Bolcerek: “That is an insane law. Reducing it to a misdemeanor is absurd as well, though any effort in the right direction is good for our industry. It was a Washington representative [Chris Strow (pictured at left), Assistant Minority Floor Leader] who took it upon himself to introduce this legislation. We sent out emails to our members in Washington to contact the head of the state committee working on the bill to move forward on it.” Residents of Washington can track the progress of H.B. 2127 by clicking here.
One online poker site, Full Tilt, recently stepped up to the challenge of reaching out to its immense user base to inform them about the PPA and make signing up for the organization extremely cost-effective and simple. Becoming a member of the PPA – whether it be a paid membership or not – allows a user to collect either a bonus and/or freeroll entry, depending upon the level of contribution. This has since ballooned the PPA’s membership to its current level of 160,000. “We’re happy to get support from Full Tilt by letting its members know about the PPA and make it easy for them to join. We’ve been in discussions with them and other sites to try and raise awareness and help them spread the word to get involved and speak as one voice. We’re really pleased at the level of involvement they have provided.”
Recently, the PPA brought in additional reinforcement: Alfonse D’Amato (pictured at right), a former Republican Senator from New York. During his nearly 20 years in office, D’Amato served as the head of several prominent Senate committees and brings a unique, tenured edge to the PPA. Bolcerek comments: “Alfonse has, obviously, a very experienced perspective of how to get things done on Capitol Hill. He also has a real passion for poker.” A March 5, 2007 New York Times article highlights the local Senator’s involvement with the PPA.
While 160,000 members may seem acceptable in some eyes, for Bolcerek and the online poker community, membership must be increased: “We need to get to one million members. That’s a real goal and we hope that other sites like PocketFives.com help spread the word about the PPA. You can sign up for free; you can just join as a voice.”
For more information or to get involved, please visit the PPA website at www.pokerplayersalliance.org. Strow picture courtesy of Washington House of Representatives website.
D'Amato picture courtesy of Wikipedia.
