Likelihood of Congress Banning Poker Growing

As a member of the poker players alliance, I received this urgent letter today...

Please take a moment and click here and voice your opposition to legislation banning online poker. If you want more info on the Poker Players Alliance click here

Recent actions in the nation’s capitol are clear signs that federal lawmakers are determined to ban online poker. On February 16, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and his supporters held a press conference to announce the introduction of H.R. 4777. If passed, this bill would make outlaws of on-line poker players!

Goodlatte and other members of Congress use this bill in a misguided attempt to lump poker in with other forms of gambling. Although they claim to have an exclusion for games with a “predominance of skill,” poker has been singled out. As Goodlatte says, “…technology has allowed for new types of electronic gambling, including interactive games on the Internet such as poker and blackjack, which may not clearly be included within the types of gambling currently made illegal by the Wire Act.” So he is really targeting poker players who enjoy the game online.

The legislation is troubling for many reasons, but the following issues are key:

• First and foremost, it tramples the rights of poker players who enjoy playing online and represents a slippery slope that could lead to the federal government denying people the right to play poker in offline venues.
• Second, the Goodlatte bill hypocritically makes exceptions for some gaming activities, including state lotteries and placing online bets for horse races, even while prohibiting games of skill like poker.
• Finally, by forcing ISPs to eliminate access to gaming content on the Internet, the federal government is moving away from long-established protections of free speech in this country. Ironically, many in Congress recently chastised China for forcing ISPs to regulate content that Chinese citizens could receive, yet those same lawmakers now find it acceptable for the U.S. government to censor the Internet.

Rep. Goodlatte’s bill has already gathered 115 co-sponsors representing districts in 36 different states. Use the links in the box to the left to determine if your Member of Congress has signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 4777. Please click here and voice your opposition to this legislation.

Let your member of Congress know that we are a strong and unified voice to keep poker legal.The Poker Players Alliance is committed to defeating this kind of egregious government intrusion into our personal lives. And with your help, we can succeed!