Poker Players Alliance Announce National Poker Week For July 19th – 25th

The PPA has continued to take its fight to Washington by proclaiming July 19th -25th as National Poker Week. The announcement was made from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Monday where the WSOP is taking place and included speeches from several high profile PPA personnel including Executive Director John Pappas, PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, U.S. Representative Shelley and PPA board members Linda Johnson and Greg Raymer.
The main part of the conference focussed on announcing several activities arranged across the country for that week designed to increase poker players involvement in the political process, including the launch of three new websites where poker players can contact and air their views  to US politicians about the state of Online Poker. These sites are www.mypokerstory.com, www.pokerpetition.com, and nationalpokerweek.com.
Poker week will also culminate in a support rally organised in the capital Washington where many top players, along with PPA members and public supporters will be lobbying on behalf of the game.The Online Poker Industry in the US has been subject to draconian and heavy handed legislation and the PPA is hoping that their continuing efforts and organisation will help to legalize Poker throughout the USA and reinstate peoples individual rights and freedoms.On this front Congressman Barney Frank has been championing efforts  and had previously introduced two bills in Congress, pertaining to online gambling. One was to block the UIGEA, and the sanctions it imposes on Online Gambling, and the other was to outline and define how proper legalization of Online Gambling would take place.The Poker Week rally in the Capitol would seem to  coincide with  the hearing of Congressman Barney Frank’s bill to regulate and legitimize online Poker.
Another interesting development from the conference was the possibility of a ‘skill games’ bill being introduced in the future, which would seperate Online Poker, Backgammon and Mahjongg from house gambling games.
PPA Chairman and former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato summed it up by saying  “National Poker Week, with events in Washington, D.C., and across the country, is the PPA’s way to make it clear to my former colleagues in the U.S. Congress that poker is important to voters and is here to stay.”