It has now been one full year since April 15th, 2011 when the Department of Justice (DOJ) shut down a number of major online poker sites who had been servicing American card players. Dubbed “Black Friday” by players around the world, Americans found themselves completely shut out from accessing even the dot.com (US domain) websites of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker. The very same day all of these poker sites blocked all US-based players from playing real money games through their software. The DOJ reached even further by seizing the funds deposited by American players over past months. Although PokerStars survived this onslaught of the website/traffic block and seizure of funds, Full Tilt, UB and Absolute Poker all ended up insolvent due to these actions.
On this day, the advocacy group Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has reignited their fight using the slogan “The players will never fold.” They are calling for all players and enthusiasts to contact their Congressmen and other elected representatives and reiterate that we have a right to play the game we all enjoy.
The PPA website homepage has been replaced with a special page to help users easily contact their own elected representatives about the issue. With just a few clicks and some basic personal information, players can quickly send out an already written form letter to the offices of the President of the United States, their State Senators and the U.S. House of Representatives. The form letter is well written and touches upon many aspects of online poker, including supporting studies and documents and the benefits of safety through federal regulation and tax revenues. The document is titled “Please Support Sensible Poker Legislation.”
The PPA can’t stress enough how important it is that as many people as possible send this (or their own) written letter to the government officials who will ultimately decide on the fate of online poker within the United States.
The battle by American players for legalized online poker is also important for poker players around the world. The result of the actions (or inaction) of the U.S. government regarding online poker is sure to affect how other governments view the game. We all want to be able to play the game we love in a safe and secure environment. So do your part for online poker by making your voice heard. Visit the PPA website today.