Fighting for poker in the USA

Originally Posted by JuniorMontana01

TO ALL POKER PLAYERS FROM THE USA!!!
The Poker Players' Alliance is an organization which is trying to change the laws about poker and gambling.
I'm not from the USA but I support the idea that laws about casinos, bills, etc. should be changed.
E.g.: HR4411 U.S.Player

Party Poker lost enormous because of this law(which is not my concern)
But gambling is an industry which has to be supported. There just 2 countries in the world which own an online poker room and casino.[Austria&Sweden] Governments don't prohibit lotto...Why? It's a kind of a gambling too. It has a lot more chance to lose your money than in poker. Lotto is just luck. You need some skills to play poker:
1.You have to make the right decision
2.Show your poker face[pretend you are weak or strong]
3.You have to know how to read your opponent
4.Need courage to bluff
5.[...]More and more skills that you know

Many professional poker player support this site[e.g. Greg Raymer]
Poker Players Alliance: Fight for Poker

i am a member of ppa...as a US citizen i support the usage of the internet for the purposes of gambling...a lot of cant get out to play in the casinos....some of us americans(not me) live in states where there are no casinos and gambling is against the law....where do you play poker????...fortunatley for us(not)...our politicians think they dont fleece enough for their own pockets ..so now they want some of my pots too???......cant wait till all you greedy old bastards die and go to hell...

ya i belong to ppa and it is a good thing coz i live in the us and i think it stinks that we cant do waht we want with our own money .but all so i dont get to play in there free rolls if you play in one you cant play in any more

Its good to see more people posting in this thread. This is an extremly important issue here in the states.
My latest contact with one of my US senators indicates to me that some law makers are coming to there senses about this issue. Will have to wait and see the outcome of this latest bill.
We still need to pick away at our politicians and keep picking and keep picking. Not let up.
The PPA is helping greatly with this issue and more people should join.
Thanks Junior for your latest post.


evoBR350

[JuniorMontana01]

Shortly after Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced comprehensive internet gambling legislation on Wednesday, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act, HR 2268.
The companion legislation to Frank’s bill will allow the United States Government to extract tax revenue from the internet gambling industry. The bill’s text notes, “Each licensee… shall be required to pay an internet gambling license fee by the end of each calendar month in an amount equal to two percent of all funds deposited by customers during the preceding month.” In terms of how the costs can be passed onto the end consumer, HR 2268 states that the 2% fee “may not be deducted from the amounts available as deposits by the person placing a bet.” Individuals are expected to pay income tax on any internet gambling winnings.


Unauthorized bets or wagers are taxed at a hefty 50% and all money is sent to the United States Treasury. Full disclosure of the names and addresses of licensees, the gross wins and losses by each person wagering, the total of “net internet gambling winnings,” the amount of tax paid, and account balances are required once per year. In terms of bookkeeping under McDermott’s proposed bill, “Each person liable for fees… shall keep a daily record showing deposits… in addition to all other records required.”
In a press statement released on Wednesday, McDermott explained his rationale for once again championing internet gambling tax legislation: “We are losing billions of dollars in federal and state taxes every year because a prior Administration and its supporters drove legitimate U.S. online gambling off-shore by passing an ill-conceived late-night amendment in Congress that has done nothing except make Americans more vulnerable to scams when they wager online and cost us billions in lost revenue.” During the last Congress, McDermott’s legislation came in the form of HR 2607, which also prescribed that 2% of deposits would be taxed.
McDermott added, “These are merely the rightful collection of taxes where applicable. The billions of revenue that will be collected by the U.S. Treasury under my bill can be dedicated to pay for critically un-funded social safety net programs in America that could improve the lives of vulnerable children and others who deserve our help.” Also introduced during the last Congressional session by McDermott was HR 6501, which would have used revenue derived from internet gambling to fund programs for those currently or formerly in foster care as well as workers in declining industries. Although controversial in nature, HR 6501 was one of the first attempts to demonstrate what internet gambling tax revenue could potentially be used for.
HR 6501 was introduced last July and dubbed the Investing in our Human Resources Act. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) spoke out sharply against the bill. The author of the Internet Gambling Study Act called it “a classic case of putting the cart before the horse.” Fellow Nevada Congressman Jon Porter, who was not re-elected in 2008, called HR 6501 “a frivolous attack on the gaming community to pay for services that local governments, states, and the federal government should already be providing.” In the end, neither HR 2607 nor HR 6501 was acted upon during the 110th Congress.


A study by U.S.-based PricewaterhouseCoopers released this year revealed that up to $52 billion could be derived from internet gambling over a 10 year period. The report used a bill similar to McDermott’s HR 2268 as well as Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. However, the potential revenue was largely based on professional sports leagues allowing online wagering on their games. At the time of writing, the number of co-sponsors for HR 2266, HR 2267, and HR 2268 were not available on the Library of Congress website.

[DoverPro]

This is one to follow for all US players...

Barney Frank makes push for legal online gambling


By KEVIN FREKING • Associated Press Writer • May 6, 2009

The Massachusetts Democrat introduced a bill Wednesday that is sure to please poker and blackjack players as well as those who like to wager on keno, roulette and other games of chance. But the opposition is formidable and includes conservative groups that view gambling as exploiting the vulnerable, particularly the poor.

Frank’s bill would require Internet gambling providers to be licensed by the Treasury Department and regulated to protect children and to ensure the games are fair, the bill states. The department would review criminal and credit histories as well as financial statements as part of the application process.

No similar bill has been proposed in the Senate, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said that he opposes Internet gambling, dimming prospects for Frank’s legislation.

Opponents of online gambling approved what amounts to a ban in 2006 as part of an unrelated port security bill. Under that legislation, financial institutions were prohibited from accepting payments from credit cards, checks or electronic fund transfers to settle online wagers.

The Bush administration moved in its final weeks to finish regulations enforcing the prohibition, and those regulations are set to go into effect Dec. 1. Frank also introduced a second bill Wednesday to delay compliance with the regulations for an additional year.

Rep. Shelley Berkely, D-Nev., whose district includes Las Vegas, voiced support for Frank’s bill. She previously sponsored legislation that would require a study of online gambling.

“What we have now is an unworkable law passed by those opposed to all gaming, whether it’s done by adults in Las Vegas or on the Internet,” Berkely said. “So there is no question we must act to correct the problems caused by this failed crusade to ban Internet gaming.”

Former New York Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato chairs the Poker Players Alliance, which says it spend $3 million lobbying in this session of Congress to try to overturn the Internet gambling ban.

In the other corner is the National Football League, which says gambling threatens the integrity of its games and has made preserving the Internet ban a priority.

At least half the $16 billion Internet gambling industry, which is largely hosted on overseas sites, is estimated to be fueled by U.S. bettors.

[elbandido32]

PPA is one of the greatest things. Glad someone is standing up for our rights . I have written my congressmen and senator on several occasions but there is nothing like a mass effort to see the power of the voters to fight for rights. People can trade in the stockmarket onlkine which is also gambling so why not poker.