Thousands of poker players along with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) recently flocked the Republican Platform Committee's official message board, flooding the site with comments and questions regarding the apathy and lack of willingness from the government to protect individuals' rights to play online poker, and to check the Republican Party position towards online gambling.

As you may know, the Republican congressmen and other representatives have opposed the legalization of Internet gambling, citing moral and ethical causes to support a series of bill and legislations that prohibit gambling such as the UIGEA.

Hundreds of players and PPA members expressed their opinion on the message board, leaving messages and comments and even quotes from Republican figures regarding poker.

“This shouldn't be a partisan issue. It should be a personal-freedom issue." wrote John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Player Alliance (PPA).

"My point is simple. Is the Republican Party no longer the party of personal freedom and individual responsibility? Why has this party, that used to protect my rights, now become the party that wants to create a nanny-state?" expressed Greg Raymer, 2004 World Series of Poker.

The PPA calculates that Internet gambling generates $15 billion a year, with possibly one-third of the total credited to online poker. The PPA claims that online poker should be a legal activity in the U.S as it is in many countries all over the world.

The Poker Players Alliance suggests that more players go to the Republican Platform Committee website and leave their comments and thoughts regarding the legal limitations imposed to online poker in the U.S. For more info visit the Poker Player Alliance.