The non-profit organisation known as the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is seeking out donations in order to continue fighting for the right to provide online poker to the masses. It is desperately in need of funds, which is why it is asking for donors to contribute $25,000 before the end of March. If this target isn’t met, then the company might just cease to exist afterwards.
It has been for the past 10 years that the PPA has gone on to fight for the rights of poker players, trying to overturn laws that restrict online poker play in the United States of America. The organisation frequently meets with different lawmakers across the country, trying to encourage them to vote in favour of legalising online poker play, as well as for other gambling bills.
Of course, all organisations need some sort of funding to continue operating, which is why the PPA delivered an email to all of its members, requiring donations to be given. Of course, the $25,000 that the company is looking for by the end of March is so that it can remain open for another 30 days! Once that time period is up, the organisation will need donations again. It’s a heavy ask, especially considering that it won’t just be a one-time target that needs to be met. As of the moment, over $5,000 has been donated to the cause.
A Look Back at the PPA
The PPA was put together in the year of 2007 and since that time it has played somewhat of an integral part in encouraging lawmakers to consider the legalisation of online poker. Three US states currently allow legal online poker-play, those being Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey. Pennsylvania also recently passed a bill in 2017, which will see it bring online poker to licensed sites. It’s said that these states might not currently be offering legal online poker if it wasn’t for the efforts of the PPA.
Additionally, the organisation works as a sort of big voice for the overall poker community, having helped to return $120 million to players after the US Department of Justice looked for a crackdown on large poker sites in April of 2011.
However, with the recent dramatic decline in receiving donations, the organisation has turned its attention towards sports betting. Surveys were sent out to members of the PPA to find out if any interest was held in this area of the gambling world. Naturally, with the US Supreme Court currently in talks to legalise sports betting, it could prove to be the avenue that the PPA needs to continue operating. This being the case, the organisation has begun lobbying for the legalisation of sports betting across the United States due to the lack of income from online poker. Whether or not the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) is overturned is another question that gamblers are waiting to hear an answer on.
