Next month US voters will decide the political fate of a third of the US Senate and all of the House of Representatives in the November congressional elections, and in a timely move the Poker Players Alliance has provided some guidance on which members of the political establishment are hell-bent on banning online gambling.
Voting starts on the first Tuesday of November, and the PPA has provided a list of lawmakers who are supportive of anti-online gambling proposals such as the Adelson-inspired Restoration of the American Wire Act introduced earlier this year by Sen. Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Representative Jason Chaffetz (Utah).
A PPA statement notes:
“Unfortunately, all of these lawmakers have decided to put politics before their constituents by siding with Sheldon Adelson in supporting an online poker ban that would deny consumers of the meaningful protections that can only be achieved through responsible state or Federal regulation.
“We’re asking PPA members and anyone who values consumer freedom and states’ rights to make their voices heard today in Washington and on Election Day by taking these jokers out of the deck.”
22 lawmakers are listed on the PPA website as follows:
Att. Gen. Greg Abbott (R), Candidate for Governor in Texas
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D), House 5th District, Missouri
Martha Coakley (D), Candidate for Governor, Massachusetts
Rep. Charles Dent (R), House 15th District, Pennsylvania
Rep. Randy Forbes (R), House 4th District, Virginia
Rep. Trent Franks (R), House 8th District, Arizona
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D), House 2nd District, Hawaii
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R), House 1st District, Texas
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R), House 4th District, South Carolina
Gov. Nikki Haley (R), South Carolina
Rep. George Holding (R), House 13th District, North Carolina
Rep. Jim Jordan (R), House 4th District, Ohio
Rep. Steve King (R), House 5th District, Iowa
Rep. James Lankford (R), House 5th District, Oklahoma
Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D), House 3rd District, Illinois
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D), House 2nd District, Iowa
Rep. Mike Rogers (R), House 8th District, Michigan
State Rep. Mario Scavello (R), State House, Pennsylvania
Gov. Rick Scott (R), Florida
Rep. Lamar Smith (R), House 21st District, Texas
Players visiting the PPA’s Poker Jokers website can access phone numbers, Facebook pages, Twitter handles, e-mail addresses, YouTube channels, and websites for each of these politicians, enabling them to voice their opinions.
In an oblique reference to land casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s funding of banning attempts, the Alliance urges players to show their disapproval of such measures, observing:
“In the weeks leading up to Election Day, it is time that our nation’s elected officials consider the opinions of the voters over that of a billionaire.”