As most already know, the House will be voting on the online gaming bills this coming week. Please take the time to contact your representative and tell them how you fell. If you have already contacted them, send them another email. The only way we can get through to these people is to threaten them with their jobs. If the mods could sticky this and encourage people to act that would be great. I do not know why the Rx has been so passive on the subject. The Rx stands to lose a lot of money on this issue. Here is the link to find/write your representative: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Here is the letter I sent:
Please vote against upcoming legislation that would prohibit internet gambling. I am a hard working, tax paying citizen that should have the right to do whatever I choose with my hard earned dollars. I voted for you in the past, but if you vote for this anti-gamibling bill I will be extremely dissatisfied and will be voting against you - and I will coerce all of my acquaintances to do the same. I feel very strongly about this. It is not so much about internet gambling as it is about freedom of choice. The basic principle that monitoring what American citizens do in their own home with their own money on their own time should not be the federal government's responsibility. Thank you for your time.
Here is a pre -written letter from the Poker Players Alliance:
I am writing to urge you to oppose pending legislation that would limit the rights of individuals to play poker online and ask that you support alternative, bi-partisan, legislation that would establish a federal commission to study online gambling.
Very soon the full House of Representatives will consider H.R. 4777 introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Vir., that would effectively outlaw the great game of poker on the Internet.
As an avid poker player, I feel strongly that this bill and any other legislation which would deny Americans the right to play a game of skill such as poker on the Internet, seriously and egregiously violate my personal freedoms.
Poker is a unique American game enjoyed by more than 70 million people in this country. Recently, the popularity of poker has exploded and the game has extended to the Internet variety that allows people from all over the country – and in fact all over the world -- to match their wits and intellect in this true game of skill. According to Ipsos, a global market research firm, more than 23 million Americans now play poker online! The possibility of the government stripping this activity away from me, and millions of my fellow Americans, is unacceptable.
It is important to note that a recent Wall Street Journal poll found that 84 percent oppose federal efforts to ban online gambling. Americans are seeking a more reasonable approach to Internet poker. One such tact would be to tax and regulate it here in the United States, as we do with brick and mortar casinos. Representatives Jon Porter, R-Nev., Shelly Berkley, R-Nev., and Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. recently introduced H.R. 5474, the Internet Gambling Study Commission Act that would enable the government to examine the possibility of regulating and taxing online gambling, rather than an outright prohibition.
This legislation is a more responsible and reasonable approach to public policy than an outright poker ban. I strongly believe that a thorough examination by this commission will clarify many of the gross misconceptions about Internet poker. I am confident that the commission’s study will show that a tax and regulate approach to online poker—similar to the approach used for land-based gambling—will ensure a safe and regulated environment for Americans to play on the Internet. In addition, this tack will allow state and federal governments to reap significant tax revenues from what is currently a multi-billion dollar industry. Some of this money could be wisely spent on public education and services for problem gamblers.
From average citizens to presidents, generals, members of Congress, and Supreme Court justices, Americans have been playing poker for centuries, making it a rich part of our cultural heritage. Today, the evolution of game on the Internet should not be restricted by overarching government interference.
I urge you to take these concerns into consideration and oppose H.R. 4777 that will make outlaws of poker players who enjoy the game online.
Here is the letter I sent:
Please vote against upcoming legislation that would prohibit internet gambling. I am a hard working, tax paying citizen that should have the right to do whatever I choose with my hard earned dollars. I voted for you in the past, but if you vote for this anti-gamibling bill I will be extremely dissatisfied and will be voting against you - and I will coerce all of my acquaintances to do the same. I feel very strongly about this. It is not so much about internet gambling as it is about freedom of choice. The basic principle that monitoring what American citizens do in their own home with their own money on their own time should not be the federal government's responsibility. Thank you for your time.
Here is a pre -written letter from the Poker Players Alliance:
I am writing to urge you to oppose pending legislation that would limit the rights of individuals to play poker online and ask that you support alternative, bi-partisan, legislation that would establish a federal commission to study online gambling.
Very soon the full House of Representatives will consider H.R. 4777 introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Vir., that would effectively outlaw the great game of poker on the Internet.
As an avid poker player, I feel strongly that this bill and any other legislation which would deny Americans the right to play a game of skill such as poker on the Internet, seriously and egregiously violate my personal freedoms.
Poker is a unique American game enjoyed by more than 70 million people in this country. Recently, the popularity of poker has exploded and the game has extended to the Internet variety that allows people from all over the country – and in fact all over the world -- to match their wits and intellect in this true game of skill. According to Ipsos, a global market research firm, more than 23 million Americans now play poker online! The possibility of the government stripping this activity away from me, and millions of my fellow Americans, is unacceptable.
It is important to note that a recent Wall Street Journal poll found that 84 percent oppose federal efforts to ban online gambling. Americans are seeking a more reasonable approach to Internet poker. One such tact would be to tax and regulate it here in the United States, as we do with brick and mortar casinos. Representatives Jon Porter, R-Nev., Shelly Berkley, R-Nev., and Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. recently introduced H.R. 5474, the Internet Gambling Study Commission Act that would enable the government to examine the possibility of regulating and taxing online gambling, rather than an outright prohibition.
This legislation is a more responsible and reasonable approach to public policy than an outright poker ban. I strongly believe that a thorough examination by this commission will clarify many of the gross misconceptions about Internet poker. I am confident that the commission’s study will show that a tax and regulate approach to online poker—similar to the approach used for land-based gambling—will ensure a safe and regulated environment for Americans to play on the Internet. In addition, this tack will allow state and federal governments to reap significant tax revenues from what is currently a multi-billion dollar industry. Some of this money could be wisely spent on public education and services for problem gamblers.
From average citizens to presidents, generals, members of Congress, and Supreme Court justices, Americans have been playing poker for centuries, making it a rich part of our cultural heritage. Today, the evolution of game on the Internet should not be restricted by overarching government interference.
I urge you to take these concerns into consideration and oppose H.R. 4777 that will make outlaws of poker players who enjoy the game online.
