Gaming Guru

Poker Players Alliance Organizes "Phone March" to Send Message to Senate

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is organizing a "phone march" on Capitol Hill to send a message to the United States Senate.

The grass roots organization, which eclipsed the 100,000-member mark earlier this summer, sent an e-mail to members asking Internet poker players to call their Senators and voice their opinion on H.R. 4411, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The bill, which passed in the House in July and is awaiting action in the Senate, would severely hamper poker players from playing the game online as it would require financial institutions to block transactions to and from Internet poker rooms.

Starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Sept. 12, the PPA will open a phone line that will transfer callers to the Senators from their state. Callers are asked to tell their Senators that 70 million Americans play poker, including 23 million who play online. The PPA believes that the industry could be regulated, much like lotteries, resulting in millions of dollars in revenues for the government.

"The threat to poker is real," said PPA President Michael Bolcerek in the letter to PPA members. "We need everyone possible to make their voice heard on September 12th!"

To participate in the phone march, call toll free: 1-800-289-1136 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

For more information on the Poker Players Alliance, visit the organization's Web site at www.pokerplayersalliance.org.