Poker Players Alliance to Host Charity Tournament

[screamingmimi04]

A charity poker tournament, to which lawmakers and celebrities have been invited, is to be held on September 3 in Minneapolis, just across the river from St. Paul, where John McCain will be formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. The tournament will be held by the Poker Players Alliance which boasts 1 million members.

The United States accounted for around half the market on Internet gambling sites operated from countries where betting is legal, before President George W. Bush signed the Republican-backed gambling ban in October 2006. This bill that banned gambling was inserted into an unrelated port-security legislation by Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) who was Senate Majority leader at that time. The law forbids credit card companies to process online wagering transactions.

Internet gambling stocks in London fell well over 50% on the first day of trading after Congress passed the ban, with one gambling site saying that it alone had 900,000 American players.

Barney Frank, the House Financial Services Committee Chairman has sponsored legislation that would allow and regulate online gambling, including poker. Frank, who is a Massachusetts Democrat has said that he expects the measure to pass next year in a Democratic-controlled Congress.

A poker tournament last week during the Democratic National Convention which benefited the Paralyzed Veterans of America had almost 200 players, including Frank, Bloch, and actor Ben Affleck.

The tournament was held at Coors Field where the Washington based lobbying group had set up 20 tables with cards, chips and professional dealers.

The poker players could benefit from growing celebrity, as popular televised tournaments make stars of professional poker players such as Bloch, Ferguson, Duke and Howard Lederer.

Lederer said that if he can use his celebrity to help further the cause that he truly believes in, he will do it. Bloch and Lederer are among those who have given the maximum individual contribution, which is $5,000 to PokerPAC. Bloch said that they realized that they had to have a voice in Congress.

Representative Steve Israel (D-NY) who is one of the 48 co-sponsors of Frank's bill said that it always helps to have very well known people.

[beaston]

A charity poker tournament, to which lawmakers and celebrities have been invited, is to be held on September 3 in Minneapolis, just across the river from St. Paul, where John McCain will be formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate.

So it's great for 2 reasons

..wish I lived closer

[stacy123]

I love all things charity. These types of events really do help a lot of people who desperately need it.

I am also hoping Barney Frank is right and that next year things get straightened up so that we may gamble online without worry if we so choose. As I have said a million times, I am sick to death of being told where I can and cannot spend the money I have worked so hard for! I should be able to play games online if I choose and win money or lose MY money, whichever the case may be!