Poker’s 2009 successes at State Levels

So far 2009 is turning to be a year of success stories at the State levels thanks in a large part to the efforts of the PPA . They are constantly in discussions with leading House and Senate lawmakers about reintroduction of pro-Internet poker legislation similar to that introduced in the previous Congress and have also been busy meeting with the new members of Congress to educate them about poker players issues.

Here are five States that have changed their views on poker. I'm hoping that an upcoming court case here in South Carolina turns out with the same success.

1. Kentucky – On January 20th, the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed a lower court order authorizing the Commonwealth to seize 141 Internet gambling domain names – including the most popular online poker sites you play on today – with the effect of turning these sites dark worldwide.

2. Pennsylvania – On January 14, Judge Thomas James in Columbia County, PA dismissed illegal gambling charges against a man and his girlfriend who were organizing Texas Hold’em tournaments. The Judge James issued a strong opinion that poker is a game of skill, and therefore not illegal gambling, to back up his dismissal.

3. Colorado – On January 23, a jury found a PPA member who was charged with illegal gambling for organizing a poker league not guilty . The jury’s not guilty verdict was due in large part by our witnesses’ testimony arguing that skill predominates over chance in poker.

4. Virginia – On January 2, the full Senate Courts of Justice Committee considered S999 a bill which would have reclassified gambling in the state to an activity with "any element of chance" rendering participation in these activities for consideration illegal. The state Senate Courts of Justice Committee unanimously voted to essentially kill the bill.

5. Massachusetts – On Feb 2, the PPA learned that bill HR 3954 was introduced in the Massachusetts State Assembly that authorizes casinos in the state but at the same time makes playing poker on the Internet a crime, punishable by two years in prison and a $25,000.00 fine. The PPA wasted no time; within 12 hours the PPA sent a blast e-mail to our MA membership to urge them to call the lead sponsors of the bill. No more than 5 hours after the email was sent, the state Reps who authored the legislation committed to remove the provision. They also personally apologized to PPA members who expressed their concerns with how the bill was drafted. This episode underscores the effectiveness of writing and calling your lawmakers. The casino issue in MA is likely to reemerge and you can rest assured that your PPA will be ready to fight with you to ensure that your poker rights are protected.

You can voice your concern about our rights to play poker in just a couple simple steps by clicking the links below. Join the PPA in the fight for our rights and let President Obama and our elected Congress know that we want our rights to play online poker !

Click Here to Send President Obama a Letter

Click Here to Send Congress a Letter

Comments

[xbox 360 repair]

This is really an informative post...........Excellent work..

[Top15Poker01]

Good post!!! There was many successes in the poker tournaments and many pokers won than last year. It was telling the strategy of winning of the players. Thanks for that and update!!!

[imjusthere4thebeer]

The state of Pennsylvania still have some work to do, despite that ruling. The ruling only applies to the specific county. It should be noted that poker games do not "seem" to fall under the definition of "unlawful gambling." However, that does not stop anyone (i.e. - county da) from making such an accusation, which is the sad part...

[Earl]

Thanks for the info beer. Good to see you still around .