More Efforts to Fight the UIGEA

The PPA has continued its efforts fighting Congress for your right to gamble, and once again it is calling on the players to invoke the emotions of local legislators.
With the implementation of new UIGEA regulations, that mirror that of the old bill, except that it has placed more pressure on the financial institutions, the PPA has become really passionate about getting this bill overturn.
Now it seems that the banking establishments will be reviewed for their efforts to block online poker transactions, and if the government feels that they have not done enough to prevent such activity, the bank will be penalized and fined.
And still, the legislators that back the bill have not clearly specified what they consider to be “illegal internet gambling.” Many states within the U.S. recognize poker as a game of skill rather than a game of chance, and this is the very principle that the PPA is fighting in favor of.
While some organizations are fighting the UIGEA based on the idea that it violates international trade laws, infringes on the First Amendment, etc, the PPA continues to argue that Poker should be exempt from the bill altogether, in that it involves more skill than it does luck. And this certainly rings true. When you consider types of gambling that IS considered legal, such as horse racing and the national lottery, you must concede that poker requires more.
And so, if you access the PPA’s website, or their Congressional Rating website, you can locate where your local legislators are, and get informed as to what you can do to help stay the UIGEA’s enforcement.
The only thing we can really hope for at this point, however, is that the upcoming administration, with a President who openly plays poker himself – even with other Congressmen – will review the bill and see to its end. This could be very possible, considering the Bush administration’s “midnight drop” of the new regulations, which are subject to review by the Obama administration.