Howard Stern Joins PPA During National Poker WeekPPA Kicks Off National Poker Week with Stern’s Announcement |
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To some, he’s a crude and outlandish character. To others, he’s a hero of free speech. To the Poker Players Alliance, he’s now one of their own.
The PPA announced yesterday that the popular and controversial radio host Howard Stern was joining its organization in support of the regulation of online poker.
“With Howard Stern as a member of the PPA, it shows Congress and the public that protecting Internet poker is about more than just poker — it’s about protecting Internet freedom and personal responsibility,” said Alfonse D’Amato, PPA chairman and the former senator of New York.
Stern has never been one to shy away from touchy issues, and has used his radio platform over the years to let his audience know what’s on his mind. As recently as 2006, he was named one of 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine and the seventh most powerful celebrity by Forbes.
D’Amato appeared on Stern’s radio show earlier this week to discuss the PPA’s cause and to promote National Poker Week, the inaugural week of activities aimed at increasing awareness of the issues regarding online poker to legislators on Capitol Hill.
“I can’t think of a more fitting way to kick off National Poker Week than having my friend Howard Stern become a member of the PPA,” said D’Amato. “I thank him for having me on his show this morning and for supporting the PPA’s efforts to protect the freedom of American citizens to play the great game of poker at the time and place of their choosing — a freedom Congress voted to take away.”
D’Amato and Stern go back a long way. The former Republican senator, surprising some of his constituents at the time, has defended the radio personality despite some of his more controversial moments, and Stern has in turn endorsed D’Amato during his reelection bids.
According to the Associated Press, PPA representatives will meet with nearly 100 members of Congress and their aides during National Poker Week. The organization will also present President Barack Obama a petition, entitled “Poker is not a crime.” As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the PPA petition boasted more than 365,000 signatures and readers can still add their names to the document.
The PPA has been very active in recent weeks. While organizing its National Poker Week efforts — which welcomed poker pros such as Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, and Greg Raymer — the PPA has also been working with payment processor Account Services to contest the recent action by the Southern District of New York that has left an estimated $30 million of online poker players’ money inaccessible.
Following the news of the payment processor’s legal battle, the PPA released the following statement:
“On behalf of the players whose money was seized by the government, the PPA is pleased that Account Services took this step of filing its motion and contesting the seizure. We fully endorse the arguments that Account Services has included in their filing that online poker is a game of skill and not the type of illegal gambling activity that is prohibited by Federal Law.
“The PPA will likely seek to get involved in this action to ensure that the voice of U.S. poker players are heard and their freedom to play the skill game of online poker is preserved — without the threat of the government seizing their money.
“The PPA has been and continues to advocate for a clear U.S. policy, established through licensing and regulating skill games like peer-to-peer Internet poker. The PPA remains committed to legislation that creates a clear regulatory framework and we will continue to pursue every legal course available to ensure that poker players’ have the freedom to play online without fear of repercussion.”
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