Poker News Daily Heads to National Poker Week

Sunday marks the official start of National Poker Week. The seven day affair features a concerted effort calling for the legalization and regulation of online poker in the United States. Poker News Daily will head to the nation’s capital as part of the Week’s Fly-In organized by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Thirty of the PPA’s State Directors and at least a half-dozen poker pros will be in attendance, meeting with Congressmen and Senators on Capitol Hill. The PPA is targeting both poker-friendly lawmakers and those still on the fence in an effort to drum up support for HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, and HR 2266, the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act. The former establishes a comprehensive licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States, while the latter delays compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year.

A message posted on the official website of National Poker Week states, “Join the thousands of poker players from across the country who will raise their voices to help keep America’s most popular game legal during National Poker Week.” State Directors, poker pros, and media from around the United States will check in during the day on Monday to the Fly-In’s official hotel, the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. A panel discussion will be held in the afternoon in Room 2237 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The group will be discuss how the industry can be properly regulated and features Wired Safety Executive Director Dr. Parry Aftab, Cigital Vice President Stuart Dross, and a former executive with International Gaming Technology, Paul Matthews.

At 6:00pm on Monday at the Hyatt, a working dinner will be held featuring comments by Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL). A reception precedes dinner. The gala will focus on appropriate talking points for attendees meeting with Congressmen on Tuesday and Wednesday. Poker News Daily will likely have media access to several meetings on Capitol Hill to give our readers an in-depth look at common talking points for conversing with lawmakers. State Directors were given literature outlining discussion points as well as a comprehensive overview of HR 2267, which was introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) in May and boasts 47 co-sponsors.

On Tuesday night, Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke, Andy Bloch, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, Howard Lederer, and 2008 November Nine member Dennis Phillips will host a charity poker tournament benefiting the USO of Metropolitan Washington. The invitation-only event is free to enter and features $100 rebuys. The PPA is fronting the entire cost of the event and will be making its own donation to the tournament’s benefactor. Prizes for the winners include travel packages and poker tutorials. Poker News Daily will be on-site during the event, which will be held in the Ticonderoga Room of the Hyatt at 7:00pm. Congressional representatives, soldiers, and poker players alike will take to the felts in this unique event.

On Wednesday, continental breakfast will precede meetings with Congressmen. State Directors are encouraged to check out after 5:00pm and then enjoy the city of Washington, DC. The PPA reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt for the event and, around July 1st, all but a handful were booked in what is expected to be a widely-attended Fly-In. National Poker Week was announced in June as part of a press conference held at the Rio during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

An online poker petition will be presented to President Barack Obama on Wednesday. How it will be given to the Commander in Chief is not yet known, but the petition has attracted 345,000 signatures after clipping the 300,000 mark on July 14th. PPA officials were aiming to eclipse 500,000 signatures by Monday.

Look for updates from National Poker Week in the next few days right here on Poker News Daily.