Poker lobbying group gathers support for legalisation in US
Wednesday 15th August 2007
The leading American lobbying group for online poker, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), has announced an initiative encouraging members to become August Advocates for the legalisation of online poker.
This time of year traditionally sees Congressmen return to their constituencies from Washington, DC, for a summer break and participate in town hall meetings, social events and fundraisers.
“The essence of the campaign is trying to turn our members into advocates during the August Congressional recess,” said John Pappas, Governmental Affairs Specialist at PPA. “There’s only so much we can do in Washington. One of the best things that can happen is if Congressmen hear from staff and folks back home at town hall meetings and fundraisers. This makes an impact. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a member of Congress say, ‘I was at a meeting and a constituent brought it up’.”
While in their home districts, members of Congress will often not make their whereabouts known to lobbying groups but will freely give this information to constituents.
“There’s an opportunity to provide feedback to us directly on the website to say there’s a meeting scheduled at this time at this place,” said Pappas. “What the PPA is doing is following up with those that provide feedback to thank them for making a call to their Congressman and also to provide them with talking points if they go to a meeting. We will also go out to our membership list in that district and send a note to them to encourage them to attend.”
