In late August, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the main lobbying voice for poker players in the United States, struck back at the Commerce Casino and other gambling establishments in California by launching PlayersBeforeProfits.com. The online petition was designed to encourage support of HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. Now, the vehicle is nearing 10,000 signatures.
At the time of writing, the petition at PlayersBeforeProfits.com has garnered 9,018 signatures, having passed 9,000 during the day on Friday. In addition to a wealth of “Average Joes” signing it, a plethora of pros have joined in the fray. Players like Patrik Antonius, Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Barry Greenstein, John Juanda, Huck Seed, and Erik Seidel have all lent their name to the PPA’s cause.
Tom Malkasian, who introduced himself in a July House Financial Services Committee hearing as an “owner, board member, and the Director of Strategic Planning for the Commerce Casino,” came out in strong opposition to HR 2267. Malkasian called the bill, introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) “fundamentally flawed and unsound.”
Malkasian added that HR 2267 and its revenue counterpart, HR 4976, are “based on false revenue assumptions that would require the removal of the right of any state or tribe to opt out of the bill in order to achieve the advertised tax revenues of $42 billion over 10 years.” HR 4976, introduced by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), has yet to be marked up in the House Ways and Means Committee. Contrastingly, the House Financial Services Committee approved HR 2267 six weeks ago and the bill boasts 70 co-sponsors.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas told the PocketFives.com Podcast this week that the California casinos are merely seeking a monopoly by opposing HR 2267: “When you peel back the onion, you realize that they’re not opposed to internet gaming; they just want a monopoly on it. From a consumer perspective, we all know that monopolies don’t work and they don’t provide the best player experience. What Commerce is looking for is a poker-only bill that will only serve the California marketplace.”
PlayersBeforeProfits.com also provides avenues for concerned Americans to Tweet, call, and e-mail the Commerce with one click. Its petition reminds casino officials, “It is important to note that with the rise of online poker, many individuals hone their skills online before they enter establishments such as the Commerce Casino – increasing traffic to poker rooms nationwide.” The Commerce has gone so far as to invite poker home games to play within its walls.
The Bicycle Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, and Hollywood Park have all come out in support of the Commerce Casino’s position. The coalition’s Waltona Manion told Poker News Daily in an interview on September 1st that, among other aspects of the bill, the group believes that the opt-out provision will not hold water if faced with a World Trade Organization challenge. In addition, Manion claimed that HR 2267 and HR 4976 would impose lower taxes on offshore internet casinos compared to what land-based casinos pay.
Congress has a target adjournment of October 8th, one month ahead of general elections in the United States. Then, following elections, a so-called “lame duck” session will likely occur. With the nation’s highest legislative body needing to pass critical appropriations bills, the possibility exists that HR 2267 could be attached to an unrelated piece of legislation, as was the case with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act four years ago.
Although members of the poker community have called for a formal boycott of the Commerce Casino and its partners, the PPA has not yet taken that route. The Commerce Casino bills itself as the “largest card casino on Earth” with nearly 250 tables. Across town at the Bicycle Casino, Andrew Frankenberger was crowned the champion of the recently completed World Poker Tour Legends of Poker, whose lowered $5,000 buy-in resulted in a field of 462 players.