Internet Poker is Winning the Media Battle
There were a couple of articles published in the media recently that were in favor of the legalization and regulation of Internet poker in the United States. These are articles were not from gambling publications or non-mainstream publications, but rather a couple of the biggest newspapers in the country in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.
The articles were not simply covering a court case on the bill to legalize poker, but they were written by respected columnists that had their say on the issue and both understand the core of the issue, which still seems to be unclear by members of Congress.
Columnist Michael Hilztik recently wrote in the Times, “It’s fair to say that the American approach to Internet gambling, which is legal in much of the rest of the world, is absurd.”
George F. Will recently wrote in the Post, “Congress probably should fold its interference with Internet gambling and certainly should get its 10 thumbs off Americans’ freedom to exercise their poker skills online.”
Poker advocates could not have written any better statements and it is not a coincidence that both papers spoke to the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).
John Pappas, executive director of the PPA, recently stated, “I think we see pockets of interest from the national media on this issue. I wouldn’t say the tide is turning because it’s always seemed the media understood this issue a whole lot better than Congress, that licensing and regulation is far superior than prohibition. Media has been there for a while, and we hope that it’s going lead to changing minds on Capitol Hill.”
The PPA is taking a lot from these articles, as they have made many copies of them and every single time a representative of the PPA meets with a member of Congress they leave a packet of these articles with them.
George F. Will, who is seen as a Republican columnist, made his article very useful in trying to persuade Republican members of Congress, which is the main group that poker advocates need to convince to legalize and regulate the online poker industry. There are many articles published by poker publications and smaller regional newspapers, but they do not get the national attention that can have a bigger influence on Congress.
Pappas stated, “It obviously helps when you go into (government) offices and can show articles from major publications. But smaller stories in hometown papers are great for congressmen because those are the papers their constituents read. A combination of both, hometown stories and national high-profile stories, works best.”
Typically opinion publications in the media reflect the views of the public, which is the main reason that Congress pays attention to them. Once members of Congress come to the realization that many, who elect the officials, people want to legalize Internet poker in the U.S. then legislation may happen.
