by: Gene Koprowski.
A lobbying group called Poker Players Alliance is wagering $3 million that it can reverse an Internet gambling ban, or at the least, legalize online poker.
Chaired by former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, (R-N.Y), the PPA, said it is planning to spend millions on lobbying in this session of Congress. The organization gets its money from the Interactive Gaming Council, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based trade association for online casinos, as well as from its poker players.
There is some opposition, however. The National Football League (NFL) said gambling threatens the integrity of its games and has made preserving the Internet ban a priority in Washington.
During 2008, the league hired a full-time lobbyist and started a political action committee to make campaign donations.
The issue: the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which Congress passed at the end of 2006. The law tried to curb online gambling by halting financial institutions from accepting payments from credit cards, checks or electronic fund transfers to settle online bets.
Half the $16 billion Internet gambling industry, which is hosted on overseas sites, is estimated to be fueled by bettors in the United States.
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