Alfonse D'Amato may lobby for the poker industry
D’Amato, a famously avid poker player, is in talks with the Poker Players Alliance about becoming the group’s lobbyist and spokesman, said Michael Bolcerak, president of the San Francisco-based group. “We looked for three-term senators who love poker,” Bolcerak said Thursday. “He fit the bill.” 
Word of D’Amato taking on the online poker lobby first surfaced online at pokerhelper.com, though Bolcerak said there is no deal yet. He said D’Amato is one of “a few” people who are being considered for the role. Bolcerak said his group has 140,000 members in the United States. During his three terms representing New York in the U.S. Senate, D’Amato hosted a regular Thursday night poker game at his office. D’Amato’s Park Strategies firm was retained by 16 organizations in 2006, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. D’Amato’s assistant did not return phone calls Thursday.