PPA Pushing For Massachusetts Online Poker
Wednesday January 29,2014 : POKER PLAYERS ALLIANCE IN MASSACHUSETTS ONLINE POKER DRIVE
Internet poker action group wants legalization added to online lotteries bill.
John Pappas, the executive director of the Poker Players Association, has suggested an amendment to Bill SB101 in Massachusetts, urging his 22,000 PPA members in the state to press for the inclusion of Massachusetts online poker legalization in the state.
State Senatior Jennifer Flanagan is driving SB101, supported by state Treasurer Steven Grossman, Michael F. Rush and Danielle W. Gregoire. The bill seeks to permit the Massachusetts State Lottery to conduct and investigate the possibilities for an online lottery.
In a statement presented to Massachusetts Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Pappas recommended the inclusion of an amendment embracing the intrastate legalization of online poker, saying that Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey have already passed legalization to authorise and regulate Internet gaming.
Other states such as California, Florida, Illinois and Iowa are taking note of these successful online platforms, and “are now recognizing the potential for significant job growth and millions in added revenue, and are proposing their own legalization to regulate the online poker industry,” he claimed.
Pappas noted that aside from the economic benefits, a regulated online poker industry is necessary in providing much-needed consumer protections, as regulated operators are accountable to the players, regulators, and law enforcement.
“Today, in the U.S. and in regulated markets throughout the world, it is required that Internet gaming companies employ “best of breed” technologies that protect minors and problem gamblers, ensure that the games are fair, and that sites block players in prohibited jurisdictions," Pappas said in his statement to the committee.
"These mandatory safeguards are even more restrictive than those employed in brick-and-mortar casinos today.”
