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PPA: Hearing on Sheldon Adelson’s Bill to Ban Online Gambling anExercise in Fear Mongering

Washington, DC (March 25, 2015) – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, today urged the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations to forgo taking any further action to advance H.R. 707—Sheldon Adelson’s bill to ban states from authorizing online gaming.

“Today’s hearing was about one thing – checking the box to advance Mr. Adelson’s bill,”said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “While the PPA has always encouraged a national discussion on the value of regulating online gambling, constructing a hearing at the behest of a political donor is an unfortunate waste of everyone’s time. This bill should die today, so members of the Committee can focus on more pressing matters, and not on legislation that will deny states the ability to protect its citizens.”

Sheldon Adelson’s legislation, as introduced by Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), would undo what Congress and President Bush already authorized in 2006 and strip states of their 10thAmendment right to regulate online poker sites within their own borders, including the online poker markets already established in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware.

“Never in the history of U.S. Internet gaming legislation has Congress ever considered overriding states’ rights to regulate online gambling within their own borders and yet Mr. Adelson’s bill would do just that. If an unelected billionaire is granted the power to re-write history by imposing a federal prohibition, the future is bleak for every American who values their Internet freedom,” continued Pappas.

Today’s hearing followed a series of technology briefings hosted by GeoComply and Caesars Entertainment aimed at educating U.S. Governors, Members of Congress and their staff on the efficacy of online consumer protection technologies. PPA participated in the briefings to illustrate exactly how these technologies are ensuring gaming only occurs where authorized, identify and restrict access by minors, protect consumers fromfraud and protect problem gamblers.

“It is critical that Congress distinguish the facts from the fear mongering. For over a decade Europe has successfully regulated online gambling and now the same can be said of Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey in the U.S.,” said Pappas. “Only through regulation, will Americans have access to advanced technologies which effectively keep

minors off online gambling websites, protect problem gamblers and prevent fraud and abuse.”

A copy of Pappas’ written testimony as submitted to the subcommittee can be found here.

About The Poker Players Alliance

The Poker Players Alliance (www.theppa.org; http://twitter.com/ppapoker; www.facebook.com/theppa) is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of over 1,000,000 online and offline poker players and enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and to protect poker players' rights.

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