Posted on 2+2 by snowbank 07/22/06 02:20 PM
I e-mailed
PokerStars to see if they were doing anything to fight the bill, and got a couple responses:
"Hello Bill,
Thank you for expressing interest in the proposed legislation just
passed in the United States House of Representatives.
As you know, on July 12, 2006, the US House of Representatives passed
HR4411, a bill intended to, among other things, outlaw banks from
procesing financial transactions to online gambling sites, including
poker sites. However, it is important to know that being passed by
the House does not make this a law; before a bill becomes a law, it
must pass both the House and the Senate, and then be combined into
one uniform statute before being signed by the President.
At present (and even in the words of the Representatives who
introduced the bill), the future of this proposed legislation is in
the hands of the Senate. In the opinion of many expert observers of
the industry and legislation, it is unlikely that this legislation
will pass the Senate this year, which would mean the failure of this
bill. Many news stories in the USA at present are misrepresenting
what occurred on July 12, as "USA bans online gambling!" makes a much
better headline than "USA anti gambling bill completes a preliminary
step towards becoming law that is unlikely to pass".
We do however believe that grassroots activism and presenting facts
about online poker is the best way to counter forces which seek to
take away our freedom to play poker on the Internet. As such, we do
suggest contacting your Senate representative and expressing your
opposition to this proposed legislation. You can write directly to
your Senate representative by using the following link.
http://www.senate.gov/general/contac...nators_cfm.cfm
(Official
link to the U.S. Senate)
Thank you for your support in this effort to protect our freedom to
play poker online.
Regards,
Carlos
PokerStars Support Team"
also.....
"Hello Bill,
Thank you for your reply. =)
To be honest with you, I do not know all the details since this is not
something handled directly by our department.
However, I do know that we have lobbyists hired and working, and we
have
participated in activities with the Poker Players Alliance, including
having Greg Raymer visit Capitol Hill and our
PR firm assisting us.
Do not hesitate to contact us for further assistance, we will be glad
to
help you.
Best Regards,
Carlos
Shift Supervisor
PokerStars Support Team"
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Washington Times Article:
Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:21pm ET
By Peter Kaplan and Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - Prospects have dimmed for swift U.S. Senate passage of a bill to outlaw most forms of Internet gambling as industry trade groups and lawmakers raise objections, congressional sources said on Wednesday.
Efforts to move a House-passed measure through the Senate have run into opposition from lobbyists representing casino owners and horse- and dog-racing interests in recent days. Some Republican senators have broken ranks and placed "holds" on it, the sources said.
"The House-passed bill is not going to pass the Senate," said one source who is knowledgeable about the legislation, adding that changes must be made to win sufficient support.
The industry is a major contributor to some congressional campaigns and sources said opposition could stir up new trouble among senators such as Republicans Jim Bunning and Mitch McConell of Kentucky or Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada.
The bill would prohibit most forms of Internet gambling and make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites.
The Republican-backed measure has been criticized by some as an election-year appeal to the party's conservative base.
Supporters of a crackdown on Internet gambling say legislation is needed to clarify that a 1961 federal law banning interstate telephone betting also covers an array of online gambling.
Backers of the legislation, led by Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, have been trying to build support and resolve differences as the Senate focuses on other legislative matters and gets ready for a month-long break.
However, congressional aides said some Republican senators have placed holds on the bill, and that Democratic senators may eventually do so as well depending on how talks proceed.
The bill was not among the priorities outlined by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, during a session with reporters on Tuesday in which he laid out measures he hopes to wrap up before the August vacation.
Any member of the Senate may place a secret "hold" on legislation, which prevents it from being brought up for a vote until concerns about the measure are resolved.
One aide said concerns had been voiced by representatives of casinos as well as horse-racing tracks, dog tracks and lotteries about limited exemptions in the bill.
So far in 2006, the casino and gambling industry has given more than $6.4 million to federal candidates, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. That amount places it 30th among the more than 80 industries tracked by the organization.
"There is always a chance that differences can be resolved and the Senate could vote before the August recess, but not a very good one at this point,"
one aide said.
In order to win support, Kyl may have to amend the Senate bill and ask House lawmakers to revisit a similar amended version, other sources said.
Supporters could take up the bill when the Senate reconvenes in September.
But it would be difficult to work out changes in time for members of Congress to return to their districts to campaign before the November elections.
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My advice to US players:
Use this link to voice opinion and to email local congress.
http://www.vote.com/vote/60396619/index.phtml
Also joining Poker Player Alliance is a good idea:
http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/
I'm not sure how good PPA is as a lobbyist group, but do personally believe joining is better than doing nothing.
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There are so many great articles, related posts, and news stories out there for me to post them all, this was just a quick sample. A good place to look is on Google doing a search under the new tab.