Doug Polk Not Interested in Supporting the PPA
March 7, 2018 1:46 pmThe Poker Players Alliance (PPA) may be the premier interest group fighting for the rights of online poker players in the USA, but the organization is set to fold its operation if it doesn’t receive $25,000 in donations by the end of this month.
That amount of money may seem insignificant compared to the millions of dollars regularly talked about when reporting on the industry, but nonetheless the donation would only be sufficient to keep the PPA afloat for a further 30 days, after which another sizeable donation will be needed once again.Therefore, as poker operators and players alike contend with lower margins, there is currently a very real chance that the PPA will finally be forced to fold its operation after 13 years in the lobbying business.
One player who may be better placed than most to help rescue the PPA is Doug Polk, a player who has had made millions from online poker over the years. Rather than using his significant presence on social media to futher its cause, however, Polk has taken the opportunity to attack the PPA, and in a recent twitter post accused the group of being a shill for PokerStars. As Polk wrote:
“The @ppapoker desperately needs money and might collapse. I’d feel better trying to help if these weren’t some of the same people who lobbied AGAINST online poker in California 2 years ago. Why’d they do that? It would’ve shut out PokerStars from the market if passed.”
Since 2016, Polk has been vocal on his dislike of PokerStars following its decision to overhaul its rewards program, and increase the rake it charges. Over the years, Polk has also gone out of his way to criticize Daniel Negreanu as the site’s main sponsored pro, and recently called him “an embarrassment to the game”.
In his latest tirade against PokerStars, it looks as though the PPA has been caught up in his crossfires, and that Polk may be letting his bias against PokerStars get in the way of sound judgement. After all, many industry experts see tribal interests in California as the primary reason for the PPA’s lack of success in the state, rather than its support for PokerStars, and the exclusion of a “bad actor” clause.
More likely, it is the fact that just three states currently have active online poker markets in the US after 13 years of effort by the PPA that is contributing to a general lack of support for the organization. Therefore, the PPA has a tough job ahead if it wishes to convince the poker community that it has a more effective approach worked out going forward, and to make further contributions. This then should be the real focus of attention for the poker community, rather than using fallacious arguments to promote personal causes.