PPA Chairman Responds to Online Cheating Scandals
July 23rd, 2008
Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), has called on the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to provide full and transparent accounting of the cheating scandals that have beset the regulator.
In a statement released yesterday by the PPA, the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with over one million memebers, Mr. D’Amato stressed that the role of the PPA is not that of a regulatory body for poker players or the poker industry. He added however that it was compelled to speak out as a result of its public policy mission being potentially undermined by actions ‘which present Internet poker in a negative light’.
“Trust is paramount in poker,” said D’Amato. “Sadly, this foundation has been undercut by admissions from two well-known online poker companies, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, that cheating has occurred on their poker sites.”
The statement said the PPA condemns cheating in poker and blamed current legal uncertainties and the lack of federal regulation for creating ‘an untenable atmosphere that has denied the proper means to investigate allegations, administer due process and then apply appropriate penalties for the wrongdoers’.
Mr. D’Amato urged Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, along with their regulating authority, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, to provide full transparency on the issue in order to lift public trust.
“The recent cheating scandals underscore the need for U.S. licensing and regulation of online poker to help protect consumers. While even the most highly regulated industries are susceptible to fraud and abuse, regulation does provide assurances that when consumers are harmed they have recourse,” said D’Amato.
“The federal government cannot continue to abdicate this basic responsibility to millions of its citizens who choose to play poker on the Internet. The attempt to enforce an outright prohibition of online poker is deeply flawed and unworkable, not to mention it invades upon the personal freedoms of law-abiding adults who wish to engage in a game of skill.”
Mr. D’Amato added that the PPA would continue its efforts on Capitol Hill to ensure lawmakers are well educated about the benefits of regulation to protect consumers and enable the rights of poker playing adults.
“These scandals will not and should not be the demise of a responsible government approach to Internet poker,” he said. “Instead, this can be the pathway to understanding that regulation is the key to protecting citizens and the future of America’s card game.”
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