Proponents press for online poker
Published 11:03 pm Wednesday, October 24, 2007
WASHINGTON — When trying to convince lawmakers that her career is more than just a card game, professional poker player Annie Duke refuses to fold.
“What I do is not gambling,” she says.
The champion player joined other poker hotshots lobbying on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, hoping to persuade members of Congress that poker, like chess and mah-jongg, is a game of skill — and not, like roulette, a casino game that leaves players’ fortunes to chance.
Representatives of the Poker Players Alliance contend that current federal online gaming regulations violate international trade rules.
Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., has introduced a bill that would reverse restrictions on online poker bets by grouping poker with other skill games, such as backgammon, bridge and mah-jongg. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is sponsoring a similar measure that would provide broader regulation over all Internet wagering in place of an outright ban.
Last year, members of the Poker Players Alliance were trumped by enactment of legislation banning banks and credit card companies from processing payments to online gaming establishments based outside the U.S.
