PPA announces major organizational changes and asks its members about sports betting: https://theppa.org/press-release-02072018


WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 7, 2018) – Today, the Poker Players Alliance -- the leading poker and internet gaming advocacy group -- announced changes to its leadership, with continued focus on grassroots engagement. At the end of February, John Pappas will step down from his role as the organization’s Executive Director, a position he has held for more than a decade. Pappas will remain on the board of directors and will continue to be a strategic advisor to the PPA. Rich Muny, who currently serves as Vice President, will take on the day-to-day responsibilities in his new role as PPA’s President.

“John is a tremendous leader and a true professional. Under his guidance, PPA has emerged as a policy advocacy and grassroots powerhouse in Washington D.C. and in state capitals across the country. For almost a decade, he has been the political voice and face of the poker community and regulated internet gaming advocates. He leaves the organization in a strong position to continue to ensure that consumer voices drive the internet gaming debate,” stated the PPA’s longest serving board member and former chair, Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson.

Click here to see some of PPA’s accomplishments over the past decade.

“There has never been greater momentum than right now for the advancement of sensible internet gaming policy in the U.S. Whether lawmakers are considering poker, casino gambling or even sports betting, a strong and organized grassroots effort will be critical to legislative success. I am proud of the work I have done with the PPA board of directors and the amazing PPA staff to bring us to this point. I will miss working for the poker community on a day-to-day basis, but I am confident that the PPA will continue its great work with Rich Muny at the helm,” said John Pappas.

Over the past several months, the PPA has been adjusting to a significant reduction in financial support from the internet gaming industry and thusly has refocused its efforts on cost effective grassroots advocacy. During this time, the organization has not missed a beat and was an instrumental force in the legalization of internet gaming in Pennsylvania this past October.

“I am honored that the PPA Board of Directors and the poker community have entrusted me with this role, and I join my fellow board members in thanking John Pappas for his decade of outstanding leadership in the fight for poker,” said Rich Muny, incoming PPA President. “I look forward to leading the poker community in this fight, building on the terrific successes of 2017.”

Additionally, the PPA is gauging its membership interest on the topic of sports betting and consumer advocacy. With changes to federal and state laws governing sports betting being considered this year, it is important to know if PPA’s large and organized advocacy efforts can be leveraged to assist consumers as new public policy around sports betting is established. PPA has launched a webpage dedicated to sports betting and is emailing a survey to its membership.

About The Poker Players Alliance

The Poker Players Alliance (theppa.org; twitter.com/ppapoker; facebook.com/theppa) is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of over 1,000,000 online and offline poker players and enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and to protect poker players' rights.

This group has accomplished nothing of any real consequence, ever. In fact, they lobby for a poker product, not the poker players. How long was DFS shut down for, like a week? Poker is still down after almost a decade. It benefits the PPA for this to drag on as long as possible. Look at the history of this terrible money grab. It has only paid off for the salaried employees of the PPA. Change the name to Poker Companies Alliance, at least you'd be telling the truth for once.

And Rich Muny might be a great guy, but that doesn't change the fact that he has risen the ranks of a terribly run company and either had no real impact on anything or contributed to the ineptitude. Either way, some new President. Here's to the next 10 years...

I don't really care if they lobby for the players or for the sites, I just want to play online poker from a regulated site, and cannot.

And yeah, nothing but fail from the PPA!

Remember that time PPA opposed a legalization bill because it excluded PokerStars?

https://www.pocketfives.com/articles...htmare-592513/

lol

Except it wasn't like that at all. The bill had initially allowed regulators to get suitability guidelines. The bill was changed after extensive lobbying by the Pechanga, which made it unpassable by drawing the opposition of the Morongo.(We all saw that bill die with the "bad actor" provision.) PPA and the poker community spent a lot of time and money there and worked to salvage our chances of getting poker in CA after that change.

I don't personally care if any future CA bill includes or excludes any operator. We want a bill there. The problem is the logjam created by the impasse of stakeholders and that's certainly not on us.

First of all, many here have treated PPA as if we're some sort of provided resource. We are not. We are a collection of players organized to fight for our game. Our relative strong or weakness is defined by the activism of the community.

Apples and oranges. For one, DFS players had something taken away from them very recently and were very active in letting their lawmakers know. Additionally, DFS has been very savvy in not getting branded as "gambling" or having issues with UIGEA. And, they have the backing of sports leagues, ESPN and other.

PPA, on the other hand, is a group of activists. For some reason, some people seem to think we should have been gifted with a lobby stronger than the NRA, Realtors, and defense contractors combined. PPA never claimed to be that. We are a vehicle for players to take action in an organized fashion.

LOL. I was an unpaid volunteer until a few months after Black Friday and am an unpaid volunteer again. Even when I was compensated, I made more when playing online.

And, it's not like there's some easy victory to claim. There are fifty states. The fight will take a long time under any circumstance. Slowing our progress intentionally might by the most bizarre conspiracy theory of all, and that's saying something.

I just don't get why some seem to think this state-by-state fight should be a cakewalk, especially when many players have not contacted their lawmakers at all on this issue. If it were easy, the sites would have been able to push it through on their own, right?

PPA has done its part, but now more than ever it's on us to make an organized fight successful. If you all want a strong fight for poker, then participate, donate, and support either PPA or some other organization. If, OTOH, you wish to sit back with an expectation that you're owed a fight, there won't be a "next 10 years" because it won't be tenable, financially or otherwise.

If I were a sports bettor I would badly want the failing PPA to gtfo of sports betting. Sad!

Tell me where PPA failed. We sought to enable us players to have a voice. So, if you tell me you wanted to reach your lawmaker and PPA couldn't facilitate that, please share.

OTOH, if you thought PPA was here to fight the fight for you, TBH you were mistaken then and are even more mistaken now. I make no claims that PPA is going to steamroll state legislatures or anything like that. Rather, we will continue to provide players with a means to speak with one voice. Industry and other lobbyists will continue to push for the game.

Sorry that you thought the fight for poker should be easy. You were mistaken. But, if you can do better than PPA and the lobbyists of the entire US gaming industry (minus Sheldon Adelson), please give it a shot.

Really, I guess that's why the PPA has a terrible history of using the donations collected to pursue... no victories at all. Many here donated in the past until you proved your effectiveness or lack thereof.

It wasn't DFS being savvy, it was the FSTA funded by their big sites. You know, DFS version of PPA, only FSTA got the job done whereas PPA's track record... bupkis! Even with the help of a big site you got 0 accomplished.

Activists? More like paid protesters. Pappas, D'amoto, you're saying these guys didn't get compensated for their time? I think we all know how your "non-profit" works. And you don't get to shift blame to the supporters of your farce when you are unsuccessful!

So you want to be patted on your back for making poor personal AND professional decisions? You got a check to do a job that never got done. No ifs, ands, or buts to dispute that fact!

There are no victories to claim because the PPA has been more of a hindrance than a help at every step. It took the FSTA all of a few months to get their day in court and make their own rules. You guys have been sidestepping since day 1 and have never really fought back politically. Poker was way bigger than DFS and had ESPN in their pocket for a long while. PPA leadership isn't working with a full deck, never has.

Here we go again, shifting blame to the players you're supposed to represent. Good job Mr. President, keep up the fight. Meanwhile, the FSTA had their day in courts. That's right, state by state. They did more in 1 year than you did in a decade.

I call BS on all of this! PPA hasn't done anything and you have not pointed out any single landmark accomplishment. You just keep saying its the players fault.

Do you have an anti-player mentality because you're funded by corporations? If its all the players faults, then how is the PPA still active? Where is the budget coming from? Who are the remaining supporters?

Big donors just got their Republican henchmen to pass a $1T+ tax cut, a bill overwhelmingly opposed by Americans, yet we can't get poker legalized, something overwhelmingly supported by Americans.

Rich the criticism above and more of it likely to come isn't surprising to someone that has been following the industry for 15 years. The facts are the PPA hasn't had the results that similar industries have had.

Where has the PPA failed in the past 8-12 years and what do you plan to do different? If you can't be honest and say there has been some serious flaws in the past then it should be no wonder that the results will stay the same with the same approach.

Basically the PPA has lost the confidence of the common player who is aware of you. How do you intend to get that back.

It’s much easier to answer your question with another question—where have you succeeded? You “gave” us a collective voice to talk to our elected officials? Sounds so pre-internet. Just tell the truth that you guys were the Pokerstars/Full Tilt Alliance and maybe you’ll be given more respect. Pokerstars is circling the toilet bowl and now you’re going after the shiny new sports betting market. Just stay away and maybe that community will have some success.