The PPA, lets talk numbers vs results.

[DeadMoneyDad]

From a little digging and a little extrapolation, let us take a minute to look at some real numbers.

The PPA in the past two years or so has spent close to 1.5 million on lobbing efforts alone. Given some conservative estimates of expenditures on other consultants, other paid help, and freeroll sign up costs, you can extrapolate your own numbers. Very conservatively at least 3 million has been spent to date. These figures do not include any expenditure for the second half of '07.

Less than 6 months ago, before the budgets for '07 were written, there were something less than 300,000 members, and most of those were from past freeroll sign ups.

The actual cost to the PPA of all of those $5,000 freerolls is hard to calculate given the cross mix of sponsorship and leadership. Nevertheless, someone feels they paid that money regardless if the money actually went through the PPA budget directly. All of those costs should be consider at least donations in kind and money who's effectiveness is fairly questioned.

What exactly has been accomplished in real terms that actually affect the over all community?

We have 809,678 members, but the actual amount of money raised from other than the industry is a closely guarded secret, as well it should be.

We have 3 pieces of legislation percolating on the Hill. One is simply a study bill.

We have managed to make something of a media presence.

We have a website. I'll leave out the forum.... We are discussing this here, enough said.

Please feel free to add any major accomplishments I have missed. I really do mean to be completely fair to all the hard work done to date. All of that is good and helpful to the cause IMO. There has been a lot of hard work done by some very dedicated people.

But how far are we towards the goal of being able to really write a piece of legislation that will measurably change the future course of poker?

IMO we are barely on the course of getting a heavily regulated poker industry that will still be illegal in more than 25% of the States. We at best are looking at mid '09 before we even get that. IMO we are not even doing the work necessary to be a major player when that eventual bill is written. We have not shown the political players that they HAVE to address our communities concerns, not just make it easier for the industry to operate in the US. In political terms, we have picked the low hanging fruit.

We are nowhere in addressing Taxes, and most feel we will have to hope to get that after a "legalized" poker bill.

Live poker players and those who used to populate the on-line community feel the PPA is meaningless to them.

In concrete terms, we have the UIGEA, a website, some press, an expensive e-mail list and hope. With a strategy deeply dependent on continued paid help funded by the industry.

I have heard of many great ideas for raising money and building a true grassroots organization. I have attempted to pass on, however badly, many of these suggestions. I am completely baffled at the continual reliance of this organization to pay for things that many it could get for free for the asking. In addition at every turn where there was any opportunity to test out any number of grassroots building activates to address the “nothing substantial” complaint the PPA seems completely risk adverse. It has happened to many times for me to simply be over reading the strength of the PPA's hand at the time. I have gone back and asked a lot of questions about many of the ideas I have suggested as well as many others suggested by others.

I am in no way a "critic" out of any hurt sense of pride due to the authorship of any of these activities. I am critical because I have seen them work time and time again, they are tried and proven methods. I could not claim authorship if I tried.

IMO we are exceedingly weak as a poker community. It is the community itself who is at fault as much as it is the PPA's.

The US is currently by the nature of the size of the market, to some degree going to shape the future of the world poker economy. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it keeps the regulation from being to onerous to effectively bar new US entrants but at the same time it will affect the total world poker economy.

In many treaties on power, politics, and life, in general often the question of the nature of the strength of an organization given its source has been discussed through out history. The Prince is a good example, but not the only one.

The question and concern in my opinion is both the existing source of the "power" as well as the continued reliance on that source for continued sponsorship.

To put it crassly, the ownership of the PPA is tied directly to the source of its funds. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this as long as Machiavelli puts it the Prince does not seek to oppress his people.

I am not suggesting that the board does indeed have any desire to oppress the poker community as others may, as their is not a single shred of evidence to suport that premise.

However, as Niccolò and many others have pointed out with examples through out history, such a foundation for power is very limited and easily defeated. In his discussions, he warns repeatedly about hiring mercenaries’ and making alliances as a means of consolidating and keeping power.

I am not advocating any power struggle not an attempt to kill the Prince. I in Niccolò's example merely an attempting to do as he did and suggest you do not have to be a Prince to be able to give some thought to how to be a successful Prince.

IMO we are in a political battle.

We as a community are totally dependent on a benevolent set of nobles who have hired mercenaries in the form of lobbyists and consultants to fight the battles we either were unwilling to fight ourselves or unable to fight effectively.

As long as we "citizens" are dependent on the good will and self-interests of the Nobles in this enterprise, we are subject to their whims and really give them no choice but to continue to rely on the forces they have confidence in to fight the battles the best they can.

IMO the only fault that can be laid at the steps of the PPA is not being willing to train its own troops. Just $100,000 a year spent on grassroots training would empower many people to do a lot of the work we are currently paying close to 10 times that amount on hired hands.

Any honest lobbyist or consultant will tell you their job is much easier and cheaper to the organization, as Machiavelli and others have tried to tell people all through out history. Starting out this might have been they only way to get started, but we are well past the point of continuing on this course and expecting a good result.

D$D

[MassPoker]

OK...Lets talk numbers vs. results.

First, the PPA is still an infant organization in comparison to many other worthwhile lobbying organizations out there, so while the results (still few) are far more than we would have had without the PPA...period!

Recently, the PPA had a fly-in to Washingto D.C. for many of their State Reps who were able to attend for a seminar on "How to Lobby Congress" and then sent those people into the field and had them do exactly that. I am told about 100 members attended.

You speak of the PPA web site like it is little to nothing to brag about. Let me inform you that as the MA Rep for the PPA, we are currently facing criminalization of online poker due to a proposed bill by our illustrious Governor. The PPA, myself included, jumped on this! We unified, sent out an alert and in 2 days sent out nearly 1700 letters to legislators about the devestating consequences of the bill...and we are making much headway. This quick response was due to the well designed PPA website.

I don't blame you though D$D...because before I joined the PPA and ultimately became the MA State Rep, I too, wondered what was being done...I had serious questions about their leadership. That was until I got involved myself and stopped being part of the problem and became part of the solution. I could either sit in my computer chair all day and whine about the "injustices of this or that" or I can join the fight and try my absolute best to MAKE a difference rather than just talk about one.

That said, I take nothing from you because if you are a PPA member, (and I hope you are), then it is indeed your right to question the PPA Administration. But I ask you this, have you called and spoke with anyone from the PPA about your concerns? You might be pleasantly surprised what you'll learn.

All In,

Randy C~
MA PPA Rep

[TheEngineer]

Interesting observations. I passed them along to John Pappas and Bryan.

[TheEngineer]

Everyone: My main comment in that we are in a REAL fight here. The Politico article Berge20 posted ( www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6733.html ) sums it up pretty well. Also, we did lose HR 4411 last year 317-93. The fact that PPA hasn't yet passed legislation isn't proof that they're not doing a good job. In the face of our opposition, the fact that we have positive legislation out there (and no negative legislation) is a testament to our hard work (PPA, 2+2 members, other poker players, etc.), IMO.

Some here make it sound like it should be easy to get pro-poker legislation, if only PPA would get to work. Some make it sound like it should be so easy that PPA should be proactively taking on anything poker related, such that we shouldn't even have to ask and if they don't, then the PPA must be dysfunctional by definition.

The reality is that, with the amount of work required at the federal level required, PPA does have to prioritize its efforts. We are are entitled to opinions on how PPA should prioritize its efforts, of course, but that doesn't mean PPA is wrong by definition if they choose differnet priorities (unless their prioritization is at odds with its membership). It simply means they came to a different conclusion.

[MiltonFriedman]

good post. good feedback.

[MiltonFriedman]

"The actual cost to the PPA of all of those $5,000 freerolls is hard to calculate given the cross mix of sponsorship and leadership. Nevertheless, someone feels they paid that money regardless if the money actually went through the PPA budget directly"

I would expect that the "cost" is ZERO. It would have been monumentally STUPID for it to have been anything else. Unless you have some basis for suggesting that, please refrain from raising such red herrings.

[Uglyowl]

Interesting post D$D.

As far as I am concerned the PPA is 2 months old and started when Rich M. and John Pappas got on board. We know that the previous adminstration was mediocre at best.

What have they accomplished, well I am still able to go home and play poker after work, something that our opposition wish that we couldn’t do.

[MiltonFriedman]

"I am completely baffled at the continual reliance of this organization to pay for things that many it could get for free for the asking. "

Your general gist is answered by the MassRep who posted in this thread .... there was a significant "grassroots" education involved in the Fly-In.

Your bafflement as to allocation of PPA financial resources seems feigned. You have experience in DC. A lobbying organization PAYS for things because the people running it often have friends who sell it things. There are hundreds of people in DC who make a lot of money by selling things to lobbying groups, you name it and someone will be selling it. It is an industry.

You want to SELL the PPA on its need for allocating resources, get in line with others who are selling other themes. (I am not implying your post is a direct pitch for your expertise/services.)

[Berge20]

While that may be true, I think D$D's point is that there are a lot of people who have extensive DC type knowledge who are willing to volunteer their time/skills/etc because of their personal involvement in the cause.

[DeadMoneyDad]

[ QUOTE ]
"The actual cost to the PPA of all of those $5,000 freerolls is hard to calculate given the cross mix of sponsorship and leadership. Nevertheless, someone feels they paid that money regardless if the money actually went through the PPA budget directly"

I would expect that the "cost" is ZERO. It would have been monumentally STUPID for it to have been anything else. Unless you have some basis for suggesting that, please refrain from raising such red herrings.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes I too doubt that the money for these efforts came out of the PPA's budget. I.E. the PPA did not have to pay PS or FT to run these events nor pony up the cash for the prizes.

However FT and PS as major sponsors of the PPA among others.

I raise the point only in terms of general costs vs rewards only. In some form of accounting some amount of money was spent in accumulating the contact information gained from these events. I do know that the PPA also expended some time and money on cleaning up the database because of players entering mutiple events. That is a direct expense out of the PPA's operating budget.

This IMO is a real "cost" of the over all effort.


D$D