John Pappas Resigns as PPA Executive Director

Following a decade in charge of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), John Pappas has decided to step down from his position as the organization’s Executive Director. The influential poker figure is expected to vacate his post at the end of February, after which Rich Muny, the PPA’s current Vice President, will subsequently take over all his responsibilities and duties.
After announcing his decision on Wednesday, Pappas took the opportunity to highlight the good work carried out by the PPA under his tenure, saying that the USA has never experienced a greater level of momentum to help advance online gambling gaming policies in the country, be it poker, casino gambling, or sports betting. Commenting further, Pappas stated:
“I am proud of the work I have done with the PPA board of directors and the amazing PPA staff to bring us to this point. I will miss working for the poker community on a day-to-day basis, but I am confident that the PPA will continue its great work with Rich Muny at the helm.”
Despite his resignation, Pappas will still continue to occupy a seat on the PPA’s Board of Directors, and provide the organization with his expertise and recommendations as a strategic advisor.
In the meantime, other members of the board have taken the opportunity to thank Pappas for his success in making the PPA such a formidable poker advocacy group, with Poker HOF member Linda Johnson pointing out that the PPA was now considered a “grassroots powerhouse in Washington D.C. and in state capitals across the country.”
“For almost a decade, he has been the political voice and face of the poker community and regulated internet gaming advocates. He leaves the organization in a strong position to continue to ensure that consumer voices drive the internet gaming debate,” explained Johnson.
Rich Muny has been welcomed as a natural replacement for Pappas as Executive Director as he is an active poster on poker message boards, and over the past decade has been instrumental in organizing and drumming up support for online poker legislation. In 2011, for instance, Muny regularly sent out the PPA’s “Poker Action Plan” containing pro-poker tweets to US lawmakers, all of which was done as a volunteer at the time. Muny says that he now looks forward to organizing and leading the PPA as it builds on the tremendous successes it managed to achieve in 2017.