Proposed internet poker ban in MA

[NewGuy]

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There is virtually no chance of the MA legislature any time in the near future (or probably in my lifetime) passing a law that makes online sports betting legal. Recognizing that fact, all we are doing is saying to the MA legislature, well poker is different, you can have legal online poker and keep online sports betting (and the other "casino" games) illegal if thats what you like.


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QFT

FWIW, I'd be happy if sports betting was made legal in MA, both online and in the new casinos if they end up being built. I also happen to agree with the argument that sports betting is skill-based and should be differentiated from other forms of gambling. But I would give up the small chance of sports-betting actually being made legal in a heartbeat if I thought it jeopardized legal online poker in Mass one iota.

In other words, while I think the PPA and 99% of all poker players in Mass won't go out of their way to criminalize sports betting, if Mass legislators offered a deal where ALL forms of wagering except specifically poker were made illegal, we'd happily take that deal. Furthermore, if proposing a poker-only carveout (vs including any other forms of online wagering) offers a higher % chance of keeping online poker legal, that's the path we should pursue.

I don't see that as the PPA or poker players throwing anyone under the bus, just looking out for their own interests above all else. I also think introducing sport-betting into the conversation with Mass legislators would dilute the focus of our arguments, muddy the waters and confuse/complicate the issues at hand (actually, similar to way it has done in this thread.)

I for one think the PPA's single-issue focus on poker is 100% dead-on correct and in our best interest.

[sobefuddled]

Thank you Randy. I simply need to know I am in sync with your goals and I like to respond to others in a timely fashion. You, TheEngineer and Bryan came through beautifully today and i appreciate it. Feel free to call on me for any further help you may need. You have my contact info.

[djmeehan]

I just finished meeting with my State Representative John Scibak. He says he has received many emails and that he has heard his fellow state reps have as well. He is on the comittee that the bill will go through, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. He as well as many members of this comittee are opposed to putting casinos in Massachusetts which would mean this bill could just die even though the govenor seems to be pushing hard. His comittee could also conceivably just remove the language as it pertains to internet gambling and he said he would consider that.

He suggested it was important that we keep the pressure up. It was very easy to get a meeting with him. If you live in Mass call your local rep and find out when and where his office hours are. Rep Scibak said he did not sense or hear of any groundswell of support to ban internet gambling and that this was probably tacked onto the bill by the economic development people in the govenor's office as a way to monopolize all of the gambling money in state. If we keep the pressure up we can get this killed now.

[MassPoker]

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Also, on a slightly different note, I gave an interview to Matt (Leyser?I think that's his last name...)from the Boston Globe. He is writing a piece on our plight and he is going to write the story up in a very favorable light for us. We spoke for about 20 minutes and I used many of the points made on this very forum from all of you as the basis of our position.

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!!!UPDATE!!! FYI...Just got an email from John Pappas and the reporter I gave an interview told him that the article he is working on will be published tomorrow. It will be in the Boston Globe for any of you that may want to read it. This is very exciting...Cannot wait to see the fallout and reaction over this article!!!

All In,

Randy C~
MA PPA Rep

[djmeehan]

glad to hear it. I look forward to seeing it and appreciate the work you're doing.

[Nom de Forum]

I think there's too much emphasis here on the bill's effect on online gaming (to the exclusion of live). If Skallagrim is right...

[ QUOTE ]
all those MA law provisions repealed and replaced, refer to public and semi-public places (like taverns and Inns). Thats how MA wrote thieir law 90 years ago, to criminalize places of gambling rather than gambling itself. It left playing cards for money in your den still legal. And its defintion of gambling includes lotteries and a number of other similar "games of chance" - it is an open legal argument whether poker is even covered by these laws now; no question (if its raked) its covered under the new statute though.

Skallagrim

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...live gaming would be affected too. Which brings up two points:
1) I don't want live poker going from quasi-legal to illegal in MA.
2) Even if you don't care about live poker, lots of poker players (and potential allies) do. They play home or underground games. We'd at least double our support for changing this bill by reaching out to the people who just play live poker.

[Uglyowl]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Also, on a slightly different note, I gave an interview to Matt (Leyser?I think that's his last name...)from the Boston Globe. He is writing a piece on our plight and he is going to write the story up in a very favorable light for us. We spoke for about 20 minutes and I used many of the points made on this very forum from all of you as the basis of our position.

[/ QUOTE ]

!!!UPDATE!!! FYI...Just got an email from John Pappas and the reporter I gave an interview told him that the article he is working on will be published tomorrow. It will be in the Boston Globe for any of you that may want to read it. This is very exciting...Cannot wait to see the fallout and reaction over this article!!!

All In,

Randy C~
MA PPA Rep

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Awesome, can't wait to see it. This will be great to forward to my friends who are much more casual players than I am (1 or 2 hours per week), but still love to play.

Also djmeehan, thanks for posting about your meeting, I will request the same from my rep.

[catlover]

The Globe article is a beauty.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art..._patrick_bill/

[whangarei]

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The Globe article is a beauty.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art..._patrick_bill/

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Sweet! Frank is on board:

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"Why is gambling in a casino OK and gambling on the Internet is not?" Frank said. "He's making a big mistake. He's giving opponents an argument against him."

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But these stats are pretty discouraging ... only 10% of PPA members weighed in, and less than 10% of online poker players in Mass. belong to the PPA.

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[The PPA] ... has generated 1,700 letters to the governor and various state legislators. The Washington-based organization has 16,000 members in Massachusetts, which is a fraction of what the alliance estimates are the 250,000 online poker players in the state.

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[MassPoker]

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I think there's too much emphasis here on the bill's effect on online gaming (to the exclusion of live). If Skallagrim is right...

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Actually, the current bill is online poker specific. The PPA's mission is to deal with the right's of ALL poker player's. If this bill dealt with "live" poker games, I assure you that we would be all over it.

I'm a little pieved that the Globe articleonly mentioned that I felt the bill "was laughable", when in fact I told the reporter this was an issue that I am extremely passionate about. He twisted my words when I said; "if you really think about the double standard that exists it's almost laughable." I spoke to the reporter for 20 minutes and the best that he could come up with was that snippet that contains no officiall PPA position whatsoever.

I apologize to all if anyone feels as though I have let them down, because I feel as though I was completely misrepresented.

On a personal note, I want everyone to know that I DO NOT feel this is in any way a joking matter. I guess I will have to be more careful how I speak to reporters in the future.

All In,

Randy C~
MA PPA Rep