The Drudge Report, written and published by former radio host Matt Drudge, thrust poker into the spotlight on Monday, linking to a People Magazine article about actor Ben Affleck’s appearance at a charity poker tournament for the Poker Players Alliance on Tuesday night. The event takes place in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday night at the same time as the Democratic National Convention (DNC). The headline, which appears atop the article listings on the front page of the Drudge Report, reads “Ben Affleck’s Democratic Convention Plan: Poker!”
The Drudge Report has become infamous for several controversial stories that the website has published. In February, the Drudge Report broke word that Prince Harry, who is third in line to the throne in the United Kingdom, was serving on the front lines of the British efforts in Afghanistan. It was news to several major media outlets in Great Britain, including BBC News, which published a story the next day stating, “Until yesterday, only a handful of people in the BBC knew about the story – trust me, keeping secrets from other journalists is hard work! Our job normally is to make these things public, not keep them from you. But this was never just about Prince Harry’s safety; it was also about the security of the soldiers serving with him.”
The People Magazine article highlights Affleck’s activities during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which kicks off tonight from Denver, Colorado. At Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) will be holding a charity poker tournament benefiting the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The tournament, whose sponsorships begin at $1,000, has attracted a high-profile guest list that includes Affleck, actress Sarah Silverman, “Saturday Night Live” Head Writer Seth Myers, and “40 Year-Old Virgin” star Paul Rudd.
Also on tap for Affleck, according to the People Magazine article featured on the Drudge Report, is an event for the SeaChange Ideas Forum. The star of “Pearl Harbor” and other multi-million dollar films will also be volunteering at the America’s Second Harvest food bank, where he’ll work alongside the wife of Democratic nominee for President, Michelle Obama. Michelle’s husband, Barack Obama, made headlines over the weekend by sending out a text message to millions of supporters announcing that he had selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his Vice Presidential candidate. Biden is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Other headlines on the Drudge Report on Monday included a report that musicians Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi would be performing as part of the DNC festivities. There is also a link to a Bloomberg article entitled “Democrats Kick Off General Election With Most Advantages Since Watergate.” According to the traffic ranking site Alexa.com, the Drudge Report is ranked 605. The site gets its traffic primarily from U.S. visitors, who make up 93.8% of its total users. It has a traffic rank of 175 in the United States.
The PPA fundraiser will attempt to put poker into the good graces of politicians of the Democratic Party, which has recently led the charge to try and bring legalized online poker back to the United States. Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA), Robert Wexler (D-FL), and Shelley Berkley (D-NV) have all authored pro-internet gambling bills. One Republican, Pete Sessions (R-TX) has also introduced legislation. None has yet made it out of Committee.