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Writing in his column that appears at PokerHelper.com, San Francisco Chronicle writer and frequent contributor to the Gambling911.com website, Thomas Somach, lashed out at the Poker Players Alliance this past week, calling them a "toothless tiger".
"The PPA has proven to be a toothless tiger, impotent in all manner and ways in regard to changing the law.
"Despite being in existence for a few years now, and claiming a support membership of almost a million people, it has done absolutely nothing to get positive legislation enacted for online poker players.
"It's spent plenty of money, though-including hiring former U.S. Senator Al D'Amato to be its chairman, throwing glitzy poker parties at the recent U.S. political conventions and running pricey ads in the media."
One industry analyst told Gambling911.com "All they (the PPA) do is waste time arguing that poker is a game of skill, not chance, as if the US Government really gives a flying f*** one way or the other."
Especially in light of the fact that online gambling friendly England has ruled that poker is indeed a "game of chance".
Did we hear someone say "Grand Standing"?
Somach goes on to point out that the PPA did run a few ads in a few Washington newspapers during the height of political frenzy in the U.S. capital - Congressional recess.
In other words, the PPA probably got a sweetheart deal placing ads in papers aimed at the Capital Hill gang (The Hill, Politico's print version and Roll Call) at a time when nobody is around to read them.
No offense to the "toothless tiger" but 2009 needs to be a year to take things up a notch.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
