Poker players are angry

During the month of October the Senate passed the Port Security Act, with a bill attached to it by Senator Bill Frist. This attachment concerned an online gambling bill that prohibits banks and credit card companies from using their services to fund gambling accounts. I am, as are many other thousands and thousands of online poker players, very angry at the deceitful manner in which this bill was handled.

I am a member of the Poker Players Alliance (150,000 members and growing). Our goal is to seek legislation that will exempt poker from any and all anti-gaming laws. Webster’s Dictionary says to gamble is “to play a game of chance.” Poker is not a game of chance but rather a game of skill. It takes years of experience to become a very good poker player. More often than not, you play the players rather than the cards you hold.

I urge all poker players to go to our Web site, http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org, and join us for the fight to exempt poker from all gaming laws. On the right side of the site, click on “Internet Poker Revenue Study.” This 37-page document will answer many questions and explain our goals in detail.

All poker sites now stand on foreign soil. We stand for passing legislation that will permit casinos or companies in this country to manage these poker sites. Here are the advantages:

1. Regulation

2. Players will feel secure and number of players will increase

3. The profits would stay in this country

4. This will create more jobs

5. The government would realize $3 billion a year in taxes

Online is big, big business.

For those people out there who are not players but feel we have a just cause, come join us. Some say that the government is taking away our freedom piece by piece. When the government tells us what we can or cannot do in our homes and how to spend our money, it’s time to stand up and be counted.

William W. Grey