Interview With Newest PPA Member Al D'AmatoThis Is a Sneak Peak at Card Player's Next Cover Storyby Allyn Jaffrey Shulman | Published: Mar 07, 2007 | |
 
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The following is roughly the first half of a cover story by Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, Card Player's legal expert, with the newest member of the Poker Players Alliance, former New York Senator Al D'Amato. The entire interview will appear in the next issue of Card Player Magazine, which is due out later this month. Shulman sits on PPA's board and was granted the first official interview with D'Amato after he took the position.
Please click here to view Shulman's article on D'Amato that ran on the site Monday.
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman: Welcome to the PPA. We're very excited to have you sit as chairman of the PPA board. Congratulations on your unanimous appointment. Senator, when did you first hear about the PPA?
Alfonse D'Amato: In October. I heard about the PPA from Wayne Berman, a friend of mine who was my partner at one time, and who was also in our regular Thursday night game, every other week. He mentioned to me that the PPA existed.
I thought that the legislation being proposed was using a cannon to kill a gnat. What really needs to happen is to have a legitimate house, a fair game, and a fair operator, and not take away from 20-plus-million citizens who play poker the opportunity to play poker on the Internet. Why should they be deprived of Internet play and …(Interruption: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the phone …)
AJS: I understand that you have two different roles in the PPA. Besides being chairman of the board, what is your other role?
AD: Well, after serving in Congress for 18 years, in 1999, I began Park Strategies LLC. My role in the PPA includes myself and my firm. We will be lobbying to reform the UIGEA. Although the Act was well-intentioned, it will fail to achieve its goals. We all want to protect kids; we don't want money laundering, and we don't want our citizens cheated. But, we don't want to waste our resources, either
Our strategies will include getting Congress to reconsider the impact of the Act. What we want to get them to consider is that now, instead of getting controls over people who are underage, those who don't care about that are replacing the public companies with good business practices, and there will be no safeguards. We should say, let's deal with mechanisms to curtail youngsters, make sure they don't play, and make sure reputable operations are taking place
Of course, assigning to the authorities the tracking of terrorists and money laundering is an important task. Enforcing this legislation is a diversion of tremendous assets! Drug cartels and illegal transferring of money are serious issues. This legislation may be well-intentioned, but it misses the point. The revenue that could be derived and used in other areas of law enforcement is something that needs to be addressed. Regulation in this area, which would include different safeguards, is a more well-reasoned course of action. And, of course, the revenue that it would bring in would be so much better than the revenue that is now being spent to enforce the Act. We would be getting money to be spent in important areas, rather than spending money where it doesn't need to be spent
AJS: Why are you and the PPA such a good fit?
AD: Well, I am fairly accomplished in legislation. I have maintained good relationships with both sides of the aisle, and hopefully I can get Congress to listen. We shouldn't drive the industry underground. If we cut off major banks, there will be others who will operate offshore, and may not be honorable. What will happen with no safeguards at all?
Poker is a game of skill that should be allowed to be played online. Betting on horse racing involves no skill … but in poker, there is skill. What about lotteries or fantasy football? Tell me about the skill level in fantasy football. And what do they do to protect young kids in those areas? Now, if you want to say that it's to protect kids, do it properly; don't drive the industry offshore, where we have no regulation and no controls.
It's just like Prohibition. No one says drinking is great; anything in excess can be a problem. You can't stop drinking and you can't stop gambling. And if we really wanted to stop gambling, what about casinos? Gambling isn't going to stop. People aren't going to stop. Why allow only casinos? Only ambulatory people can play poker? If a person is confined and doesn't have a way to get out, they're precluded. That is terrible! What a tragedy! Someone can't get out or can't get a ride, and they are deprived? And by the way, what about the opportunity to meet other players and socialize with them online? There is an element of unfairness here.
AJS: How big do you think the PPA has to be to have an impact on our government?
AD: I think it has to grow in size and grow in voice! That voice must say that we want you to regulate and not ban. Protect citizens! Ensure safety! Make sure that people are not being taken advantage of. England has been doing this for a long time. Twenty-million-plus Americans play online poker.
Last year, the World Trade Organization indicated that we may be in violation of WTO agreements. We're discriminating against other countries. Inevitably, we will be held not in compliance, and penalties will be levied against us. We need to regulate. There is an upside. Knock out unscrupulous houses. Regulate. Protect kids and those who are vulnerable. It is not onerous, because having a licensing procedure will pay for itself. The burden and expense would not be on the government. Tax revenues and the licensing procedure will pay the cost. Instead of the government paying out money to try to stop millions of Americans, we should see to it that the industry is regulated, and bring in money.
AJS: Do you think in 2007 that we have the ability to obtain a poker carve-out to the UIGEA?
AD: I think you never give up. You set the stage. I'm not going to say that it's going to be easy, or that it cannot be done. But I don't want to give a false impression. I intend to go to people who sponsored the legislation and educate them. Go to people you might not think would support a carve-out. Give them a reason to make a better bill, accomplish a better goal. Don't waste law enforcement resources. Provide safeguards. I was down in Washington yesterday to begin the process of education and answering questions. We will have to come up with effective answers that satisfy the concerns that we all have. That can be accomplished by effective regulation
AJS: What are our biggest roadblocks?
AD: Well, I think convincing legislators that there is a better way to do what they want to do. They were acting under a number of influences. Interests in Las Vegas and sportsbooks wanted this legislation. Under the guise that gambling is bad, they came up with this all-encompassing area. Horse racing was left off because of the power of the industry! We need that same power in the poker industry
AJS: What can the average poker player do to help?
AD: Reach out to friends. Join the PPA. Write to Congress. Call your senator. Don't give up. We need a strong presence - loud voices. Why should the industry be driven underground like Prohibition? Ensure that it's a fair game! Why should I be deprived? Why can't I use a legitimate bank? I want regulation! Make your voices heard!
5 Comments
dedewsop
over 2 years ago
Great Article!!
Poker player...read and react. This is the ONLY way to make our voices heard.
zenon_mist
over 2 years ago
I wrote my congressman, a sponsor of the internet gambling, and asked him to contact Sen. D'Amato and develop a change in position.
pokerpro1078
over 2 years ago
i agree evry won who can join the ppa think this is great and would like to personaly thank you for speaking out senator we need someone of your stature that nuetral to both sides think this is a step in the right direction and i also cntact my senator regularly impotant that when you guys and gals call make sure you call your state senator tell him you are a registered voter in his state and oppose the new act to take away are right to online poker and will not support any1 with views of such in the upcoming election i understand wht the senator is sayin since i was in bad car wreck and poker is my only enjoyment well thx for your time evry 1 good luck and godbless oya ps: its card player dianna not poker player but pokerplayer is a poker mag also can see how you got them confused we now cardplayer is your favorite anyway lol take care all
Gnomedeplume
over 2 years ago
To gain acceptance of on-line poker I suggest that players be required to fund and make withdrawals from their on-line accounts at bricks and sticks casinos. There all ids can be checked and verified, kids prevented from playing etc. Grandfather existing accounts. Bricks and sticks form alliances with existing sites and draw in customers
shark623
over 2 years ago
Way to go Senator! I'm a paid member of the PPA myself and I've started spreading the word and trying to recruit other members. I am a poker dealer in Oklahoma.