PPA Speaks Out on Intrastate Poker Regulation
Posted on March 1, 2010
Filed Under General
Ever since online poker started getting hit with strict rules and policies in the United States, the Poker Players Alliance has been leading the charge to make these online card rooms legal again for US players. The PPA has always wanted to regulate poker across the entire country, but instead now finds that more than likely the process will happen one state at a time, with California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Iowa all considering separate intrastate poker regulations.
“The idea is not something that the PPA opposes,” PPA Executive Director John Pappas said. “However, we are very concerned what intrastate poker means for the online poker player and the online poker market today.”
The major concern the PPA has with intrastate poker regulation is the fear that these new laws will force players within these states to play on online sites that only allow competition from that one particular state, removing the freedom to play against players from all over the world. A number of gaming corporations in California for example have already announced their intentions to form their own online card rooms in the instance that intrastate poker is approved.
Pappas believes that each individual state would make more money by allowing for an open market when it comes to regulation, allowing customers to play against players from other areas. If restricted purely to those that live within the state, Pappas fears that these new card rooms will not be able to reach critical mass, severely limiting the amount of gaming options presented to the card players and limiting the potential revenue for the state.
“Let me be clear: We support licensing and regulation. We think it’s achievable,” said Pappas in a February hearing in Florida. “Our preference is to do it at the federal level, but if we are going to go down to the state level like you guys are contemplating here (in Florida), and like they’re contemplating in California, competition has to be key.”
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