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WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2015) – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, today expressed disappointment in Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for introducing legislation to ban Internet poker and select forms of Internet gambling when he should be focused on the needs of his state.
“As the eyes of the nation are focused on South Carolina following the recent tragic event, I think I speak for most Americans when I express profound disappointment in Senator Graham for choosing this time to advance a bill for the sole benefit of a billionaire political donor ,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “Congress made the decision to adjourn early so they could attend services on Friday in Senator Graham’s home-state. Unfortunately, Senator Graham has not reset his priorities and picked a very unfortunate time to engage in the Internet gaming debate.”
The legislation introduced today would overturn an act of Congress in 2006 when they passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and established that states could license and regulate online poker and other limited forms of online gaming on an intra-state basis. Senator Graham’s bill would grossly expand the scope and intent of the 1961 Wire Act that the courts and the U.S. Department of Justice have decided is limited to sports betting.
As a 2016 presidential candidate, Senator Graham’s political motivations for moving this agenda forward have come into question in recent months. In 2014, following private meetings between billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and Senator Lindsey Graham and several Adelson-sponsored fundraising events, Senator Graham introduced similar legislation to ban states’ from authorizing Internet gambling within their own borders. Though Senator Graham has traditionally been a staunch states’ rights advocate, this legislation would overturn whole-cloth the decisions of the states to authorize and license online gaming within their own borders.
“From bad timing to bad policy, it is clear Senator Graham’s priorities are misplaced. Instead of banning consumer access to Internet poker, Congress should corral the unregulated marketplace and implement a system which protects consumers and empowers the government to hold fraudulent operators accountable,” said Pappas. “Sheldon Adelson’s power over politicians, especially those running for president, is significant, but Congress must show it is stronger. Online poker licensing and regulation is the only way to ensure consumers are protected and Americans who want to play poker online, have a safe way to do so.”
