Poker Players Ads Push Online Gambling Legalization

Regulation, it states, would raise billions of tax dollars while deterring and punishing shady operations, and leaving legitimate Internet gambling sites toaccept US customers.

The Poker Players Alliance has decided to mount an advertising campaign aimed at federal lawmakers who will be debating the legalization and regulation of online casinos and poker rooms. Following the coverage of online poker cheating presented by both the Washington Post and "Sixty Minutes," the PPA is running ads in several reputable political news newspapers published in the Washington, D.C., area.

The ad campaign features the slogan "No matter how you cut the deck, regulation is the answer."  The PPA focuses on the debate between banning online gambling and regulating it.

The advertisement makes the point that the ban has failed to protect consumers, while eroding personal liberties and creating a black market. Regulation, it states, would raise billions of tax dollars while deterring and punishing shady operations, and leaving legitimate Internet gambling sites to accept US customers.

The ad states, "Fortunately, Congress is working to pass legislation that will punish bad actors, guard against player fraud, protect children, and help problem gamblers."

There is no mention of the PPA stance that poker is already legal, as a game of skill. This position has sometimes divided the online gaming community, as it seeks to separate poker from other gambling games.