Dear President Obama;
As a voter and a poker player, I am writing to ask you to oppose
seizures of poker players' funds by the Justice Department. I do not
believe any federal law restricts my right to play poker online, and I
believe poker players are being unfairly and improperly targeted in
these actions.
For many years, the Justice Department has attempted to enforce its
very broad interpretation of the Wire Act (18 USC 1084), a bill first
passed in 1948 and revised in 1961. The Wire Act was passed to control
the transmission of sports bets and sports betting information via
telephone, not to stop Americans from playing online poker. This was
affirmed in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court's landmark 2002 ruling
affirming that the Wire Act pertains only to sports betting [see re In
MasterCard]. Unfortunately, despite this federal court ruling the
Justice Department continues to stand by its own interpretation of the
Wire Act.
This issue is not lost on the American public. We made our desire for
this liberty known through your Citizen's Briefing Book website. Of the
thousands of proposals submitted, support for Internet poker rights was
the top technology issue. We have also made our desires known via an
online petition addressed to you at
www.pokerpetition.com that now has over 375,000 signatures.
This issue is not lost on Capitol Hill, either. In the House, H.R.
2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and
Enforcement Act, has been introduced by House Financial Services
Committee Chairman Barney Frank and already has close to 60 cosponsors.
In the Senate, S. 1597, the Internet Poker and Games of Skill
Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, was recently
introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez. These bills mandate rigorous,
verifiable safeguards against underage participation while providing
consumer protections for the millions of Americans who play online
poker every day. They also include dedicated funding to establish and
implement programs for prevention and treatment of those with excessive
gaming habits. These bills also allow American companies to participate
in the world's Internet poker market, bringing needed jobs and revenue
to our great nation. An unenforceable, unpopular prohibition provides
none of these benefits. All prohibition can do is drive players
underground or overseas while limiting my personal freedom.
What's most important to me is your support for my rights. Please
respond to this letter and let me know you will support my freedoms. I
hope that I, along with my over one million fellow Poker Players
Alliance members, can count on your support.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[your name]