National Poker Week

Representatives of the Poker Player’s Alliance are to set up a National Poker Week in a bid to promote the legalization of online poker and meet with Congress members.

The struggle to legalize poker in the US is still ongoing, and takes many directions to reach its goal. The latest attempt to call attention to the cause is the National Poker Week, which not only is meant to be a huge poker celeb event, but also serves the purpose of political activism.
The Poker’s Player’s Alliance (PPA) has announced the arrival of National Poker Week, scheduled to take place between 19th and 25th of July. PPA Chairman and former Senator Alfonse D’Amato has called the move the chance to make it clear that “poker is important to voters and here to stay”.
The PPA are due to send over thirty State Directors to Washington D.C.

There, they will be accompanied by up to six professional poker players including Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson and Dennis Phillips. Together they will meet with members of Congress in a bid to legalize and maintain standards of online poker. In addition, the PPA is sending a petition to President Obama requesting Poker’s exemption from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act also known as the UIGEA. National Poker Week is “something everyone should support even if you don’t play”, said Lederer. “Restricting what we can do online in the privacy of our own home is a slippery slope” and an infringement of individual rights.

Throughout National Poker Week, the PPA will be launching multiple email and telephone campaigns aimed at publicising the voice of the poker playing community at large. In addition, a charity poker tournament will take place at Malone House, Walter Reed Army Medical Center on 21st July. The gala will see Poker professionals, PPA Directors and Congress representatives and wounded servicemen playing side by side with all profits going straight to the United Service Organisations (USO).