PPA to Fight for Online Poker Today

PPA to Fight for Online Poker Today

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Before the House Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations subcommittee meets today to hear arguments for a ban on online poker in the US, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) will be working to show politicians that the industry is extremely safe.

Today's RAWA hearing will see Rep. Jason Chaffetz peddle Sheldon Adelson's anti-online gaming message to House members. Fortunately, there will be at least one poker-friendly witness in attendance. Thanks to pressure from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), Andrew Moylan, the Executive Director and Senior fellow at the R Street Institute, will now be part of proceedings.

This piece of good news was accompanied by the announcement by the PPA that it will be hosting a series of technical briefings on Capitol Hill. Designed to explain how online poker technology is able to create a safe playing environment, the seminars should give outsiders a better understanding of the igaming industry.

Showing of the process of geolocation and ID verification, the seminars will give congressmen, senators, governors and political media members a chance to see the technology in action.

Up until now, Sheldon Adelson and his supporters have maintained that online poker is a danger to children. However, such claims have been refuted by those with an expert knowledge of the industry, including Matthew Katz of CAMS, a geolocation provider, who told NewJerseyCasinos.com that Adelson's point is nothing but a political "red herring". In fact, since online poker regulation was passed in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware there hasn't been one reported instance of underage gambling.

Although today's hearing won't drastically alter the online gaming landscape in the US, it will shape the way it's received in later hearings this year. Fortunately, thanks to work from the PPA and the global poker community, many people are now wise to flaws in RAWA and that should bode well for players across the world.



Tags: PPA, Poker Players Alliance, USA, Congress