In a report published by Forbes on Friday, it was revealed that the Poker Players Alliance, the main lobbying group for the online poker industry, spent $283,000 in efforts on Capitol Hill during the second quarter of 2008. The actual report of “disclosure,” Forbes claims, was officially filed on July 21st.
The Poker Players Alliance is based on Washington, D.C. Its membership currently stands at 1.2 million after tallying just 50,000 during the middle of 2006. Forbes notes that, during “the April to June period, the Washington, D.C.-based group lobbied both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.” It has been the leading voice for online poker players in the United States.
The PPA has succeeded in bringing two bills to discussion in the House Financial Services Committee during the 2008 calendar year. The first, HR 5767, was designed to prohibit the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (or UIGEA as it’s commonly known) from being enforced. At the same time, an amendment was proposed by Congressman Peter King (R-NY) and called for the United States Treasury and Federal Reserve to work together with the Department of Justice to determine what was illegal and legal under the UIGEA. The amendment was struck down in the Committee by virtue of a 32-32 tie vote. The bill was subsequently defeated after an oral vote.
The second bill to reach a vote in Committee was HR 6870, the Payments System Protection Act, which was discussed last Tuesday. It was proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) and calls for the regulations of the UIGEA to be suspended, except for those that deal with online sports betting. Those must be enacted within 60 days of passage. In addition, HR 6870 calls for a list to be drawn up specifying to the U.S. financial industry what is permitted under the UIGEA. The financial services industry has been ravaged in recent weeks, causing the future of the Payments System Protection Act to be up in the air. It was passed by virtue of a 30-19 roll call vote.
Free memberships to the PPA are available and include action alerts on poker legislation, the ability to participate in the forums on the PPA’s website, and a free newsletter from PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu. For a $20 membership fee, new members to the PPA can enjoy access to the organization’s Litigation Network and Poker PAC. In addition, each person will receive a card protector and window decal to help support the PPA out in public.
The organization is led by Executive Director John Pappas and former three-term Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato. The addition of Senator D’Amato to the PPA’s ranks on March 5th, 2007 spurred a large degree of interest in the nascent organization. He commented upon his arrival to the PPA, “I have had a passion for poker since my childhood, and for politics almost as long. This new position will allow me to fuse these passions and help establish sensible policy that allows Americans to enjoy the great game of poker in the venue of their choosing.”
The online poker industry’s lobbying group was formed in 2005. In addition, to D’Amato and Pappas, its Board of Directors includes Greg Dinkin, Full Tilt Poker pro Chris Ferguson, Jan Fisher, Howard Lederer, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, Linda Johnson, Greg Raymer, and Rich Muny.
