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PPA, Poker Personalities Outraged Over Online Poker Ban

US President George W. Bush signed into law a ban on online gambling Oct. 13. The ban is expected to hit 23 million Americans who play internet poker.

Lawmakers inserted the law in the SAFE Port Act, a move that outraged poker players nationwide.

"Today is a dark day for the great American game of poker," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, a grassroots organization of more than 110,000 members. "Twenty-three million Americans who play the game online will effectively be denied the ability to enjoy this popular form of entertainment, even in the privacy of their own homes."

Bolcerek added, "Congress had a real opportunity to create good public policy by licensing, regulating and taxing Internet poker. Yet, they chose prohibition. This decision will prove to be detrimental in the long-run and leaves more than $4 billion in annual tax revenue on the table."

Late September saw leaders of the US House and Senate adding the Internet gambling prohibition language onto the vital port security bill.

"As a lifelong poker player, I can't believe the underhanded way this new bill restricting online poker was passed through Congress. What does Internet poker have to do with the Safe Port Bill? We Texans don't like this kind of trickery. Texas is a state where you can see an enemy coming, a friend is a friend, and you look someone straight in the eyes," Poker legend Doyle Brunson said.