Senator D'Amato is joining the Poker Players Alliance

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has enlisted a key ally in the “War on Online Gambling”, former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato. Senator D’Amato is joining the PPA as Chairman of the Board and will be leading the efforts of the PPA in Washington D.C. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization of more than 160,000 poker enthusiasts. Alfonse D’Amato is a long time online poker player and he has a distinguished 18 year record serving in the United States Senate. Now he is taking his enthusiasm, tenacity and political savvy directly to Congress to produce results for the Poker Players Alliance. This is welcome news to the entire online gambling industry. “I have had a passion for poker since my childhood, and for politics almost as long. This new position will allow me to fuse these passions and help establish sensible policy that allows Americans to enjoy the great game of poker in the venue of their choosing,” said Alfonse D’Amato. Approximately 23 million Americans enjoyed playing online poker in 2006. However, late last year the Republican led congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, making it illegal for financial institutions to knowingly process gambling transactions. “UIGEA has not had the impact it was intended to have,” states Christopher Costigan President & Founder of Gambling911.com. “The only thing the new law did do successfully was chase out legitimate and transparent publicly traded companies.” “Prohibitions don’t work, they only create unintended consequences. The American people know this and we are going to make sure Congress knows it too,” said Senator D’Amato to the New York Times. “We need common sense regulation of Internet poker. Prohibition will only drive the industry underground and strip away any protections for children and services for problem gamblers.” The Poker Players Alliance will be working with the current Congress to provide a skill game exemption for poker and pave the way for eventual regulation and taxation of the industry in the United States.