MGM, Caesars Fund Campaign for Online Poker

Nevada land-based casinos have already formally gotten their hands into the online poker push through the recently-formed FairPlayUSA, a non-profit campaign based in Washington D.C. The organization, funded by MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, launched in late July.

The group’s website states that its goal “is to educate policymakers and the public on the broad public policy interests raised by the current ambiguous laws in the U.S. that have led to millions of Americans gambling on the Internet.”

The members of its advisory board include former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, Internet safety expert Parry Aftab, former FBI Director Louis Freeh, and poker’s Greg Raymer and Mike Sexton. The group is headed by Executive Director Marisa McNee.

Raymer, who also serves on the board of directors for the Poker Player’s Alliance (PPA), said he was hesitant at first before committing to FairPlayUSA. He said he eventually became sure that the non-lobbying group with the help of the casino giants could help the push for federal legislation.

“Down the round if there was a conflict between what is best for these companies and what is best for the players, that might be a concern,” said Raymer, who is not being paid for his position with FairPlayUSA. “However, I was convinced that the interests of the players and the interests of the people starting this organization are aligned, at least at this point in time.” According to Raymer, the group is looking to other brick-and-mortar casinos to join. “This isn’t just about [Caesars and MGM],” he added.

The group’s first of 10 principles, which reads “Strengthen the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 to unambiguously eliminate illegal Internet gambling,” has drawn some criticism from the poker community. Raymer said that efforts to bring forth a federal solution need to be about compromise — and that the group’s first principle has been interpreted as “clearing the road” for the big casinos, but that isn’t how the language was intended to read.

“In order to get support from people like [Senator Jon] Kyl and [Representative Spencer] Bachus, we need to give them something they want,” Raymer said. “And they want to stop online gambling. So, we convince them poker is a game of skill, and that it should be licensed and regulated, and in return the same legislation makes it easier for the [Department of Justice] to stop both other forms of online gambling, as well as unlicensed poker sites, from doing business in the US.”

Raymer said that FairPlayUSA does not endorse Joe Barton’s online poker bill, or any other piece of legislation, at this point in time. “We are just endorsing the creation of some legislation that will specifically allow for licensed and regulated online poker for Americans. So, we are not trying to differentiate between bills, and saying that ‘this bill is bad, and this one is good.’ We are trying to mobilize as many people as possible to tell Congress that they need to regulate online poker.” ♠