Poker Players Alliance Explodes to Nearly 500,000 Members
The Poker Players Alliance has revealed that its grassroots organization, headed by the honorable former Senator of New York State Alfonse D'Amato, has ballooned to 500,000.
Over the weekend, D'Amato expressed how prohibition has failed repeatedly throughout United States history and will fail again with certain politicians attempts to quash online poker (a la Senator Jon Kyl out of Arizona).
| "Perhaps the biggest government blunders in U.S. history have been prohibitions" - Alfonse D'Amato |
An animated D'Amato predicted just as the prohibition of the 1920s failed, so too will today’s restrictions of Internet poker. "Only meaningful regulation of online poker, like the Frank plan, will produce positive outcomes for the players, children, the economy, the taxpayer, and society in general."
D'Amato expressed his views in the Boston Herald.
"Perhaps the biggest government blunders in U.S. history have been prohibitions," wrote D'Amato in the Herald. "The prohibition against alcohol led to black market smuggling and speakeasies, and reaped huge profits for organized crime. Today, the prohibition on Internet gambling promises to funnel players underground, diminishing society’s ability to deal with serious challenges such as underage and problem gambling, and, more importantly, interferes with the right to individual liberty and privacy."
The PPA has supported Congressman Barney Frank's efforts to get online poker legalized, though there are many in the industry itself who believe Frank's recent proposal still borders heavily on "protectionism" and would alienate many operators.
Just 4 ˝ months ago at the beginning of 2007, the PPA stood at 120,000 members.
On March 5, 2007, the PPA announced that former three-time Republican Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato (pictured at left) was its new Chairman.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com
Originally published May 14, 2007 10:45 am ET
