A Message from PPA Exec Dir.

[PPAdc]

Thank you for the encouraging words about the Poker Players Alliance which have been posted on this forum. While I wish I could say all posts have been positive, I do view them as constructive and believe that 2+2 and other similar forums will be important to the future growth and development of our grassroots organization.

As most of you know, the PPA recently announced that it is moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Washington D.C. so the organization can be more central in the fight to defend poker player’s rights. This fight is not limited to the two bills (H.R. 2046 & H.R. 2610) before Congress which focus on Internet poker. Our fight extends to any reasonable opportunity where the PPA can help define poker as a game of skill, protect the equitable treatment of poker players under tax law and more generally to educate lawmakers, the media and the general public about the game we love.

As a bit of background, I am a 10 year veteran of Washington policy and politics. For six years I served on the DC staff of my hometown Congressman, John Shadegg, and the next four years as a public relations and government affairs specialist with the Washington firm Dittus Communications. During my tenure at Dittus I became a leading consultant to the PPA. I left a good paying job at a well respected firm to come work for the PPA because I am passionate about this issue. My sincere interest does not necessarily stem from my love for poker (which I do enjoy playing) but because of my fundamental belief in individual freedom and personal responsibility. The path Congress took last year (the UIGEA) runs contrary to my core principles and I am honored to be in a position to defend them. With that said, this is not a fight that can be won purely on ideological grounds. It is a political fight and one that I am well prepared, with your help, to lead.

The PPA has been criticized on these pages for inactivity and unresponsiveness. I will not comment on the validity of these claims, but will give my assurance that there will be an improvement in both areas. I think it is important to note that when the UIGEA was signed into law last year the PPA pledged to our membership that we seek legislation that would exempt poker from the law. The PPA delivered on its promise. Through our hard work, education and grassroots advocacy Rep. Robert Wexler introduced H.R. 2610, the Skill Game Protection Act, a bill which exempts poker and other games of skill from the UIGEA and also clarifies the WIRE Act to ensure poker is not included in DOJ’s overly broad enforcement of the law.

We have also been the leading force behind the Barney Frank bill, H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. Through our efforts we have secured numerous bi-partisan cosponsors. Some of this success can be attributed to our grassroots letter writing and call campaigns which have resulted in tens of thousands of PPA members contacting Congress. The PPA and its lobbying team have spent a considerable amount of time on Capitol Hill personally educating lawmakers and staff about the benefits of a regulated Internet poker industry. We are making tremendous progress, but this is a process and overnight success is a hope, not a reality.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the PPA brought in the political skills and talents of former Senator Alfonse D’Amato to serve as our chairman and help lead our efforts in Washington. He has been instrumental in our success thus far.

I wanted to update you about some other PPA activities. Since taking the position of Executive Director I have been in regular communication with Rich Muny who is known as TheEngineer on 2+2; he is bright, articulate and well-reasoned. I have asked Rich if he would consider taking a seat on the PPA Board of Directors, and he has accepted. While the Board still must officially approve him at our next meeting I have asked that he help the organization to build a bridge between the 2+2 community, and work with me to develop grassroots initiatives. Rich will bring enthusiasm and expertise as the PPA seeks to communicate with the broader online and offline poker communities.

With Rich’s help, the PPA will soon be activating our membership in Kentucky to take a stance in the upcoming Governor’s race which has devolved into a political fight over gambling. If you are a PPA member in Kentucky you will be getting an action alert from us very soon.

Separately, the PPA will be putting it support behind the appeal of a recent federal Tax Court decision, Tschetschot v. Commissioner. This will allow us to challenge discriminatory treatment of tournament poker winnings and more importantly it will give us a federal forum in which to prove that skill predominates over chance. Winning that issue would be of great value in dealing with a whole array of state law restrictions on games of chance and with federal statues such as the UIGEA that define unlawful gambling by reference to what is unlawful under state law.

The PPA will also be beefing up its grassroots efforts. After all, our large membership is our best asset. This week a random selection of our members will receive an online survey asking them a few short questions so we can gauge how responsive our members will be to certain grassroots efforts, from simple letter/email campaigns to a Washington D.C. “Advocacy Week” that includes PPA Members, poker pros and representatives from the industry. This sampling will help us shape future programs.

In order for you to remain current on PPA activities I will be posting updates on the PPA member forum page http://webringamerica.com/4/pokerplayersalliance/, every two weeks (or when warranted). I encourage you to visit it. Please note that we are in the process of the Web site upgrades which will make our forum and other tools easier to use.

This is an exciting time for poker and for the PPA. It would be foolish to predict what will happen legislatively, but rest assured that the PPA is in a great position to influence what happens in Washington. Again, reason and experience has taught me that we will not achieve all of our goals overnight. But with careful planning and proper execution we will succeed. I look forward to a productive dialogue.

Sincerely,
John A. Pappas, Executive Director
Poker Players Alliance
www.pokerplayersalliance.org