Time to Act!

Hearings are being held to decide if YOU, the voter will be allowed to vote on casinos in Texas. Go to the following website and contact your representative now!

http://www.thankyoutexas.com/

The Alternative

The Texas legislature has decided to pander to the NRA this year and pass legislation allowing students to carry handguns on all college campuses. It will also be against the law for a teacher to ask if a student has one or to try to prohibit them during class or office hours. Inside sources in the legislature say this bill will pass, and the only question is whether they will lower the age from 21 to 18. Apparently, the Republicans plan to fix the budget deficit by reducing educational costs--enable students to shoot their fellow students and teachers so as to eliminate teacher salaries and decrease capacity enrollment costs.

..well it was either that or do something insane like legalize gambling and generate tax revenue and jobs, right?

Could the time be now?

There are 101 republicans in the House...an uber-majority. They can do whatever they want. Unfortunately, most of them ran on an anti-gambling platform.

However, with the budget in a wreck, some analysts think they may have little choice but to follow other state's lead in reducing the budget through expanded gambling.

"Too many states have had success in cutting their budget deficits through expanded gambling. For Texas lawmakers to continue to lag behind the rest of the country when it comes to gambling expansion would be foolish.” - Steve Schwartz, Gaming Analyst.

Could this be the year? Or will we get another 'franchise' tax to skirt the 'no new taxes' promise again?

More from the PPA - Info. on the online poker bill's blackout period

This just in from the Poker Players Alliance:

I wanted to update you on the status of Congressional efforts to pass
legislation which would license and regulate online poker in the U.S.
While it remains an open question whether a bill will succeed during the
"lame duck" session happening now, I want you to know what we are doing
to protect your right to play online poker.


The PPA has been and continues to work night and day on this
issue. While many have speculated that the "Tax Bill" would be a likely
vehicle for iPoker legislation, because of recent political developments
with respect to the tax bill it has become complicated to predict whether that bill is a viable path.  I still maintain, as I told the Wall Street Journal (click to read) yesterday when the rumors circulated that the bill was dead, that nothing is dead until Congress adjourns. 


Let me assure you that we have heard and strongly considered the
concerns a number of our online poker playing members have raised,
specifically regarding the 15 month "blackout period" contained in the
draft bills that have circulated in recent days.  The blackout period
means that upon enactment of the proposed internet poker law there would be fifteen
months where NO licensed Internet poker would be available to U.S.
players.  In all likelihood, some of the web sites where
you currently play would leave the market so they can go through the
process of obtaining a U.S. license and then re-enter the market after the 15 month blackout period.  

Frankly, the proposed blackout period is absurd and
the PPA opposes it. And we have fought – and continue to fight – tooth
and nail against it. But it is a reality. There will likely be a
blackout period of some length included in any legislation that is
passed, whether it is in this Congress or future Congresses. Our
opponents have been throwing their weight around to get a lengthy
blackout period included and, unfortunately, I fear they are winning.

That  being said, upon significant analysis, review and reflection, we believe that the long- term benefits of this bill to the poker community make the blackout period a bitter pill we have to swallow. Our goal is to establish a permanent, safe and
regulated U.S. online poker market, similar to the European regulatory
markets. While many think the status quo works and is fine, it is not a
long term solution and cannot last. 

Without Federal licensing and regulation, individual states could – and have started – to license play within their borders only, setting up monopolies that will not provide you with the playing experience you’ve come to expect. Or they
will ban online poker altogether, like Washington State has done. That
is why the PPA encouraged you earlier this week to contact your
Senators and voice support a Federal bill before the end of the year.


We believe that the trade off for getting regulated, permanent US
online poker market is worth a temporary blackout of some sort. It’s not what we want, either, and it’s not what we pushed for in Congress, and we don’t even like it. But when viewing this from the perspective of maintaining a sustainable Internet poker market the 15 month period is short-term pain for a long-term gain.


This has been a very tedious process and seems to change from moment to
moment.  As Congress considers bills throughout the remainder of the
lame duck, we will continually update you on our progress.

Thank you, as always, for your support and we welcome your thoughts and feedback.

Proud to Play,
John Pappas
Executive Director
Poker Players Alliance

Latest news on online gambling from the Poker Players Alliance

You have likely heard news reports that the U.S. Congress is considering legislation to regulate Internet poker and that this bill could be brought up during the “lame duck” session happening now. The Poker Players Alliance has been fully engaged in this process. We are currently working very hard to ensure that the final bill is something the poker community can embrace, but it won’t be easy. We have our detractors and even other gaming interests do not fully appreciate the current marketplace, nor do they respect the ability of Americans to continue playing online unless they control the system.

Be assured, Congressional advocates for regulated Internet poker do not share those views. They believe in a robust and competitive marketplace with strong consumer protections that will, in the long-term, provide an even greater experience for the poker player than today.

It is because of this support that the PPA is urging our members to act TODAY. We ask that you contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to support legislation that licenses and regulates Internet poker.

Simply click the button below to send an email to Senators Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sen. John Cornyn

Once you’ve sent the email, please follow up with a phone call.

Call Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison at (214) 361-3500

Call Sen. John Cornyn at (512) 469-6034.

Tell them:

• You are a poker player and a voter
• You support efforts to regulate Internet poker and that Congress should pass a bill before the end of year
• Licensing and regulation provides needed consumer protections and also raises revenues without raising taxes
• Please support this effort to expand freedom to adult consumers who want to play a game of skill on the Internet
• Thank you for your consideration

After your call, please take a few minutes to let us know how it went by clicking here.

Thank you for taking this action today. It is critically important that we voice our support to get this done this year! As more details about the bill are available, we will continue to update you.

Proud to Play,

Senator Alfonse D’Amato
PPA Chairman

The Confusing Republican Texas

Well, the entire Republican party and all of their relatives got voted into office yesterday. It seems like that would be a good thing for gambling. Since the Republican party caters to big business and is supposed to be anti-taxes it seems like casino-style gambling would be the perfect way to bring in more big business to Texas and create a new revenue source to avoid having to raise taxes right? Especially when we have an 11-17 billion dollar state budget shortfall to deal with this session.

But wait a second, we have had a republican-dominated State for many years. Rick Perry has been in office so long, they are going to have to retire his underwear and hang it in the Capitol after this term! And he has dealt with big budget shortfalls before--he gave us the gift of a state income tax in the disguise of a franchise tax.

Perry has already come out against expanding gambling in Texas. And we all know he likes to wield his veto power like a Cuban dictator. The only glimmer of hope I see in the situation is that Perry flipped on his "no state income tax" platform, so maybe he will sell out his anti-gambling supporters too this time.

Letter From The Poker Players Alliance

I recently received the letter below and am passing it along:

Dear Paul,

The PPA's efforts are paying off in Washington, DC! Legislation has been introduced in both the U.S. House and the Senate that will affirmatively license and regulate Internet poker.These federal bills respect states' rights by allowing each state to choose whether its citizens can participate. With Congressional action on these bills expected in the near future, we must start now to let TX's elected officials know we demand the right to play poker on the Internet.In just 60 seconds, you can send a letter to your governor and lawmakers. It is critical that your governor, state senator, and state representative hear from you TODAY. Your state officials need to know that passing up the opportunity to license and regulate online poker would limit your freedom while ignoring the needed revenue the program would bring to TX.Please take a moment and send the following letter. By doing so, you will help us to achieve our shared goal of protecting poker wherever it is played.

http://capwiz.com/pokerplayersalliance/home/

Proud to Play Poker,
Alfonse D'Amato,
ChairmanPoker Players Alliance