Obama Should Support Online Poker EffortsFellow politicians - both Democrats and Republicans - have been working to repeal a barbaric online poker prohibition passed into law last October via attachment to a non-related port security act, yet 2008 Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, has done little to back these efforts.
Obama himself is a self-declared poker player.
The poker nights — sometimes called the "committee meeting" by the players — began around 1997 as a way to kill time in the small capital city — around 115,000 — during long legislative sessions. Under state law, it's illegal to play poker for money, but the law is seldom enforced when low-stakes games are involved.
Players didn't study their cards and their opponents in icy silence. Instead, they joked and griped about legislative leaders and talked trash.
"Barack was always focused on anything he did, but he would certainly engage in banter," said Stephen Selcke, a lobbyist for AT&T. "Barack was one of the guys."
The group didn't always stick to traditional kinds of poker. They often played variations that resembled blackjack or split the pot between the highest and lowest hands. They even played a version that awarded half the pot based on a random card.
On most nights, a player might win or lose around $30, participants said. A really big night would mean winning, or losing, $100.
The players rarely talked about legislation. The lobbyists felt strongly that it would break an unwritten rule if they tried to sway the lawmakers during the games, Selcke said.
As a presidential candidate, Obama doesn't accept political contributions from lobbyists or political action committees. But as a legislator, he took thousands of dollars from the groups represented by some of his poker buddies. AT&T in its various incarnations, for example, gave more than $13,000 over the years.
Poker has gained allies in Washington, among them Barney Frank, Chairperson of the House Financial Services Committee, and former New York Senator, Alfonse D'Amato.
D'Amato is now head of the nearly 783,000 member strong Poker Players Alliance. Frank has drafted legislation that would help protect online poker and abolish what many believe to be an unconstitutional law, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, co-authored by Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl.
Obama has failed to take a definitive stance when it comes to the game he loves, though it is widely believed he will support the Frank initiative. Perhaps the best piece of news is that it can be presumed Mr. Obama will not actively prosecute online poker players should he get into office.
iMEGA.org hopes to have a temporary restraining order issued against the UIGEA in a New Jersey courtroom tomorrow (September 26, 2007). Both iMEGA and the Poker Players Alliance have moved to better position themselves in Washington. The PPPA has organized a gathering of its members in Washington later next month.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
Originally published September 25, 2007 11:13 am ET
