Poker Fans Descend on Washington

[Harvey]

Fans of online poker recently took their cause to Washington, D.C. to rescue the game from a federal crackdown on Internet gaming.

The 800,000-strong Poker Players Alliance, which counts more than 16,000 members in the Bay State, hosted a “fly-in” lobby campaign that saw a mix of star poker players and run-of-the mill enthusiasts woo key lawmakers.

One of the targets: U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), an outspoken advocate for repealing last year’s congressional crackdown on Internet gaming.

The group held a fund-raiser at a private Washington townhouse for Frank, head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. Among those making the pitch was former New York Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, an avid poker player himself and chairman of the Poker Players Alliance.

Frank has been an outspoken proponent of removing the federal ban on on-line gaming, calling it an instrusion by the government into citizens private lives. Earlier this year he proposed revoking the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and replacing it with a system of licensing Internet operators.