by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor
Online poker rooms can thank their lucky stars for the Poker Players Alliance, a non-profit organization that has spent nearly $2.5 million on lobbyists for the legalization of internet poker. In just this year, the PPA has invested $629,750 on lobbyists according to OpenSecrets.org.
22 lobbyists working for five law firms have been hired to fight for online poker players. $900,000 was spent in 2007, and $540,000 in 2006, and $260,000 the year before. As such, the PPA has gained the support of over a dozen politicians, continuing to have talks via e-mail, telephone and letters advocating for online poker.
The PPA’s involvement in the legislation of poker hasn’t stopped there, as Congressmen such as Robert Wexler who attended the World Series of Poker and Robert Menendez were influenced to write bills that would define the game as one of skill. The most recent proposed legislation goes so far as to require a framework for the licensing of online poker in the U.S.
While the PPA has spent millions lobbying for internet poker, its latest activity having filed an amicus brief in the case of Kentucky attempting seize poker room domains, the number one priority of the organization is to convince legislators that poker is a game of skill and should therefore be exempt from the Unlwaful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
There is no question that Washington will soon feel the influence of the Poker Players Alliance, as the debate for the repeal of the UIGEA continues.
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