Newsday is reporting the former New York senator and poker afficianado may start lobbying for the Poker Player's Alliance.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/lo...-top-headlines
Newsday is reporting the former New York senator and poker afficianado may start lobbying for the Poker Player's Alliance.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/lo...-top-headlines
It's official. Al D'Amato is your new PPA lobbyist. We have confirmation from the PPA. A short story is on the way.
Here's the story:
D'Amato signs with the PPAD'Amato signs with the PPA
March 05, 2007
By Ryan McLane
Former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato has signed on as a lobbyist for the Poker Player's Alliance, a PPA spokesperson confirmed Monday.
The brash and often controversial 69-year old Republican from New York is a staunch poker advocate and plays in a weekly Long Island home game that boasts wins and losses in the thousands, according to a report in the New York Times.
The PPA has more than 160,000 members, according to PPA chief Michael Bolcerek.
PPA spokesperson John Pappas said his office will have a formal statement about the D'Amato signing later today.
Here's the release from the PPA:
For Immediate Release
Contact: John Pappas
202.715.1514
Michael Bolcerek
michaelb@pokerplayersalliance.org
Senator Alfonse D’Amato Takes Leadership Position with the Poker Players Alliance
Poker Aficionado and former U.S. Senator to Lead Efforts to Protect One of America’s Pastimes
Washington D.C.(March 5, 2007) – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization of more than 160,000 poker enthusiasts, announced today that former United States Senator Alfonse D’Amato has joined the PPA to serve as Chairman of the Board and help lead efforts in Washington D.C. to protect the game of poker.
“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, the new Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance.
“We are thrilled to have Senator D’Amato take up our cause to promote and protect the game played by millions of Americans. His enthusiasm, tenacity and political astuteness will bolster the influence of the PPA and help earn poker a much deserved exemption from the recent online gaming law,” said Michael Bolcerek, president of the PPA. “For the past 18 months Linda Johnson, the First Lady of Poker, skillfully lead our organization as Chairwoman, today the First Senator of Poker will lead the charge.”
It is estimated that more than 23 million Americans enjoyed playing poker on the Internet in 2006. Yet, the recent government crackdown on Internet gaming has swept poker into its net of prohibition and have made it increasing difficult for poker players to enjoy this great form of entertainment on the Internet. The Poker Players Alliance will be working with 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.
“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. “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 was formed in 2005 to protect the right of poker players to enjoy the great American tradition of poker in the venue of their choice, and Linda Johnson was critical in the organization’s development. “I would like to personally thank Linda Johnson for her service to the PPA as its first Chairwoman, and in her continued service as a board member as we take the organization to its next level,” stated Bolcerek.
The Poker Players Alliance www.pokerplayersalliance.org is a non-profit organization advocating on behalf of American poker players.###
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More details about D'Amato's hiring...
D'Amato to serve as PPA Chairman
March 05, 2007
by Ryan McLane
Former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato is the Poker Player's Alliance's new chairman of the board, the PPA announced Monday.
D'Amato replaces Linda Johnson, the PPA's first chairperson. She will retain a position on the PPA board.
The brash and often controversial 69-year old Republican from New York, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1999, is a staunch poker advocate. He often hosted regular games in Washington D.C. And according to the New York Times, he plays in a weekly Long Island home game that boasts wins and losses in the thousands.
"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," D'Amato said.
D'Amato's job description includes organizing lobbying efforts in Washington D.C., PPA spokesman John Pappas said. He added that the former Senator visits the nation's capital two to three times a week, and will be expected to continue that schedule as the PPA's new chair.
D'Amato is expected to lead the charge in declaring poker a skill game – thus exempt from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act -- and help pave the way for eventual regulation and taxation of the online gaming industry in the United States.
D'Amato calls recent U.S. legislation against online gambling an act of prohibition.
"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," D'Amato said. "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."
PPA president Michael Bolcerek believes adding a high profile poker enthusiast with years of experience on Capital Hill will add clout to his growing organization. The PPA currently has more than 160,000 members.
"We are thrilled to have Senator D'Amato take up our cause to promote and protect the game played by millions of Americans. His enthusiasm, tenacity and political astuteness will bolster the influence of the PPA and help earn poker a much deserved exemption from the recent online gaming law," Bolcerek said.
The PPA, which is based in California, does not have a permanent office in
Washington D.C. But it plans on opening a Washington office within the next 60 days. Pappas said D'Amato is not a part of that plan and will work from his New York offices.
Last edited by GPWA Ryan; 5 March 2007 at 4:23 pm.