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Message: [QUOTE="rifflemao, post: 2328516, member: 98323"] What he responded to: Please support Internet poker licensing legislation As a voter, taxpaying constituent, and poker enthusiast, I am writing to request that you support legislation to facilitate licensing and regulation of Internet poker in participating states. I also ask that you oppose legislation that would expand the Wire Act to strip states of their right to authorize online poker sites. Three states have already chosen to exercise their rights in this area. New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada have authorized online poker sites which are in operation now. A federal shutdown of these law abiding, state approved sites would be an entirely inappropriate use of federal power and would be an affront to states' rights. As you know, in 2011 the U.S. Department of Justice, after careful review of relevant case law and legislative history, found that the Wire Act bans only online sports betting. I concur that this is the correct interpretation regarding online poker. If it were not, prohibitionists would not be seeking to amend its language. States have established the wherewithal and authority to protect their citizens by implementing stringent consumer protection standards. For example, technologies exist and are used successfully in the U.S. and Europe to verify the identity, age and location of players; to identify problem gamblers and refer them to treatment; and to detect money laundering. In fact, comprehensive research on the issue concludes that online poker operators have more effective and sophisticated tools to prevent and combat problem gaming than brick-and-mortar casinos. Regulation also allows our elected officials to set high standards to thwart fraud and abuse of customers and collect much-needed revenue that is currently being sent offshore. 73% of Americans say the current state-by-state approach, either by states passing legislation directly or by choosing to participate in a federal system, is preferable to a federal ban. I encourage you to review this important polling: [url]http://go.theppa.org/poll[/url] Licensing and regulation is the way forward. I encourage you to support H.R. 2666, the bipartisan Poker Freedom Act, and H.R. 2282, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act. These bipartisan bills do not preempt states from exercising their traditional authority over gaming issues. Rather, they simply provide a framework for Congress to regulate this interstate commerce. States and tribes that choose not to participate in online poker and online casino-style gaming can opt out of the federal program, and opting out of the federal system does not preclude states or tribes from authorizing intrastate online poker or online casino-style gaming. I look forward to your response on this issue. I, along with my over one million fellow Poker Players Alliance members, hope you will reconsider your course here. Thank you. [/QUOTE]

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