Recently, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) put out a call for all online poker players to register to vote. As chairman Alfonse D’Amato put it, "If you play, have a say!" This short blog is to remind you that if you haven’t registered to vote, the deadline is probably coming up in your state. If you go to the Poker Players Alliance voter registration site at www.poker2008.org you can register to vote in any state, so long as the deadline has not passed.
It’s never been more important to fight for your rights as an online poker player. Neither of the main presidential candidates have a stellar record on poker player’s rights.
Republican nominee John McCain is close friends with Senator Jon Kyl, the author of the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 1997. However, he has never been vocal or stated a position on Internet Poker, so it is unclear about his views.
Democratic nominee Barack Obama is a proud poker player, and he says so on his campaign website. Rumor has it that he is an outstanding player, which serves to reason given his documented high intelligence. He is in favor of Congressionally sponsored research being done on the effects of internet gambling, but he has publicly spoken out against internet gambling and voted against gaming during his term in the Illinois state senate. So it is unclear exactly what his position is.
Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin is very clear that she is against gambling, and states so on her website.
Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden was one of only 10 people in the senate to vote against the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, but he has not publicly stated why.
In any event, whichever candidate you support, be sure to check out the PPA’s website regularly (www.pokerplayersalliance.org) and continue to be vigilant in your fight for personal rights to play poker, a clear game of skill.
The professional players have a lot to say about this also, here’s a youtube video addressing the importance of voting for your rights.
