Over the last days, several online gaming news sites, blogs and forums have exposed their concerns about a recent decision taken by the Bush administration in where the government’s authorities rushing to settle a series of regulations and rules to implement a divisive regulation that seeks to ban online gambling activities, including online poker sites, online casinos and online sportsbetting. Even when this decision has created a huge controversy among the Democratic lawmakers, banks, financial institutions and online gaming supporters, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department officials still working on the creation of a series of regulations to enforce the UIGEA.

Barney Frank, a top House Democrat have urged the Bush administration to delay the process, warning that making rules based on what some call an ill-defined law could bring even more problems to the already uncertain U.S financial and banking system. Responding to Frank's letter, a Treasury Department spokeswoman said that "Treasury and the Fed are working together to get a considerable public comment and to complete these regulations as directed by Congress."

In the meantime, Full Tilt Poker and the Poker Players Alliance have been pushing insistently, asking the online poker community and players in general to contact their Senate and Congress representatives and urge them to stop any actions that would allow the government to enforce the ban. In an e mail sent by Full Tilt Poker and the Poker Players Alliance, the poker site is asking all players to join a collective effort to stop the Government from implementing the UIGEA. The e mail sent by Full Tilt states the following:

 

Please call Senator Reid at 1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343) and tell him:

• I am a voter in Nevada and one of millions of Americans who enjoy playing Internet poker

• Please do everything you can to stop the current Administration from finalizing the UIGEA rules and regulations

• The White House is pressuring the Federal Reserve to finalize these rules, even though the Federal Reserve says that the UIGEA is bad for banks

• Please encourage the Federal Reserve to reject finalization of UIGEA until its impact on banks and consumers has been fully studied

Ask your Senator to protect your personal freedoms by calling him TODAY.

If you're not already a member, please consider joining the Poker Players Alliance by visiting www.joinppa.org. Forward this link to your friends and fellow players in the poker community who may be interested.

Thank you for standing up for poker and your rights.

Sincerely,

Full Tilt Poker”

 

The PPA also has posted a petition on its website advising all players to join their effort. So, if you enjoy playing online poker or simply consider that the UIGEA is twaddle action to keep the people from enjoying their individual liberties, please help the PPA and join them in their effort to defend your right to play online poker. The statement published by the PPA is the following:

 

“Just one week after a historic election the Poker Players Alliance is pitted in a fight to keep anti-Internet poker regulations from being enacted and we NEED YOUR HELP!

The current Administration is hastily finalizing a number of “midnight rules” before they leave office and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is on the list. See the 11/06 story in Dow Jones. Just like UIGEA was snuck into legislation in the dark of night in 2006, our opponents are again trying an 11th hour sneak job. We need you to help us expose and stop this reckless rulemaking.

Please call the U.S. Federal Reserve and tell them not to approve the UIGEA regulations — Board of Governors, 202-974-7008 or Public Affairs, 202-452-2955.

Tell them:

• The federal agencies responsible for our nation’s economy should not be focused on Internet poker regulations.

• Finalization of the UIGEA rules will add additional burdens on our already crippled financial systems.

• Internet poker is a game of skill and form of recreation for millions of Americans; it should be exempted from the UIGEA.

• Please do not finalize the UIGEA regulations until their impact on our banking systems and average Americans has been fully studied.

You can also submit comments online by clicking here or sending an email by clicking here.

Your call will make a huge difference and will add the public’s voice to these last minute policy decisions our government is poised to make. We can’t stand idly by while they make decisions that will impact our right to play America’s card game. PLEASE CALL TODAY!”