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The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, today released its 2010 PPA Congressional Ratings Guide, available at www.congressionalpoker.org. The guide provides poker players a simple way to find out if their members of Congress support their poker rights.
“The poker community has made tremendous progress over the past two years in educating members of Congress on the benefits of regulating online poker. The grades in our 2010 Congressional Ratings Guide indicate that progress, but also underscore that more needs to be done,” said Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the PPA. “As we approach the mid-term elections, this guide is a valuable resource for PPA members – and all poker players in the country – as they choose to support candidates who support their right and freedom to play poker.”
As an indication of the effectiveness of the education and advocacy efforts of the PPA and its members, only 194 members of Congress scored a “D” or an “F” – failing in their support of poker – as opposed to almost half of members, 258, who received a “D” or “F” in 2008. This year, 91 members of Congress were rated an “A” for their strong support for poker freedom.
Given the increased legislative activity on poker legislation in the House of Representatives over the past two years, the PPA was able to rely more on voting records as a basis for ratings than in past ratings guides. The lack of activity in the Senate and the absence of a vote on licensing and regulating poker by the full House, however, still resulted in many of the grades being based on co-sponsorship of bills, Congressional letters of support, public statements and private meetings with PPA members and our advocacy team.
PPA members can automatically send an email to their member of Congress directly from the guide to voice their support for poker and those who protect their right to play this game of skill. New this year, PPA members can view any correspondence sent by their member of Congress on poker that was in response to letters, emails, calls or Tweets received by constituents.
The PPA Congressional Rating Guide will be updated periodically and is searchable by state and by zip code.
