This Tuesday afternoon (March 20th), I am scheduled to interview Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. He is the president of the American Gaming Association.

As I expect most people in this forum already know, the AGA has recently become a major force in the lobbying for online poker, after years of opposition to it. The AGA makes it clear that they are neutral on specific poker legislation and do not support any one bill in particular, but they also make no secret of their preference for federal regulation.

This will be an extended interview with Mr. Fahrenkopf, scheduled to last thirty minutes. In addition, this interview will see him communicating with the online poker community directly, as opposed to the operators and regulators which he is used to addressing.

I spoke with Fahrenkopf’s office, and he said he’s perfectly fine with getting the community involved. I wanted to start this thread sooner, but I had to get some clearance from the mods first.

Please post any questions or thoughts you would like me to keep in mind when putting together the questionnaire for Mr. Fahrenkopf. I cannot guarantee that I will ask every question specifically, but this is a way for me to get a better idea of what the community wishes to know from him about the AGA’s efforts and goals.

All input is appreciated.

Best of luck with the interview!

obvious question is something regarding general support of federal legislation vs supporting a specific bill

What would need to change in the Barton Bill for the AGA to support it?

What is in the ideal AGA bill?

How does the AGA feel about foreign player pooling?

How do AGA members feel about not having to compete with pokerstars, the largest poker site in the world?

What was his most recent conversation with Harrah Reid about? Does he have any insight into what Harrah Reid plans or doesn't plan to do?

Why hasn't the AGA(and members) publicly reached out to poker players?

How does the AGA feel about public gaming(lotteries and tribes) being involved in IGaming? Would the AGA support any bill that includes them?
-If so, does the AGA think tribes should be taxed the same as commercial casinos? Does the AGA feel states should honor compacts with tribes and give exclusivity in said areas?
-If not, why does the AGA believe Vegas casinos, with their unlimited experience in igaming, are best to be the providers?

If AGA members are simply going to partner with foreign software providers, why shouldn't these foreign firms be allowed to get a license without a casino partnership?

All I could think of at the moment. I am half asleep, so I might have more in the morning.

Does the AGA believe that a federal bill should allow the licensing at some point of non-casino US corporations such as Zynga, Yahoo, Google, etc.?

Do you expect a bill to be introduced to the US Senate this year, either as a stand-alone or attachment? Has such a bill already been drafted to your knowledge?

Do you believe that poker players should have a voice in the drafting of the provisions of the legislation and regulations for online poker?

Are you aware of the major concerns of poker players in regards to online poker regulation including:

• Type of site taxation - site revenue tax as opposed to deposit tax or wager tax.
• Protections against bots, cheating and fraud (fraud by sites as well as players).
• Open market competition to keep rake low.
• Fair income tax treatment, both federal and state (netting of wins and losses).
• Allowing international player pooling with regulated jurisdictions.
• Ring-fencing of player account balances.
• A regulatory authority appeals process for players to address site grievances.
• Preventing states from opting out of the federal system only to pass their own state-run system.
• Allowing age limit to be set under state option (e.g., Florida law allows poker for 18 years of age, but 21 for casino gambling).

If the political landscape makes it impossible to pass a federal bill authorizing Internet poker, do you support passage of a federal bill to expand the scope of the Wire Act to cover all forms of Internet gambling now, only leaving the door open for Internet poker authorization later? Or do you believe that the best course, absent passage of a federal bill, is to allow each state to determine its own online gambling policy?

Do you believe that individual states should have the right under a federal bill to set limits on online poker wagering for their state residents (e.g. games allowed, stake limits, buy-in limits, etc.), or only the option to fully opt in or out of the regulated federal system?

It is my understanding that cheating in a Vegas casino is a felony offense under Nevada state law.

Does AGA/Fahrenkopf believe that cheating at a US regulated online poker site should be considered a criminal offense under Federal jurisdiction?

1. Why should most of the power be held by the current land based operators and not opened up to the software providers to act independently if they choose? (the obvious reason is that this is in the best interest of the AGA, but still might be interesting to hear how he spins his answer).

2. Why are they not pushing for online gaming of all legal types? The luck vs skill argument is fine when debating in court, but shouldn't casinos really want all types of gaming?

These are all great. Thanks guys, we'll try our best.

Which is a higher priority to AGA members: getting the ability to offer online poker, or preventing lotteries and other non AGA members from offering online gaming?

Also, if AGA members are considering charging rake comparable to B&M poker rooms, what mode of transport do they expect to employ to get the nice ladies with the free drinks to my house?

Marco is speaking with Mr. Fahrenkopf as I type this, thank you for all the great questions.

I assume there will be a podcast or something that can be downloaded and listened to later?

Yes. It will be aired and available for download tomorrow (Wednesday), at 12:00pm PST. It will also be available in video on YouTube.

The interview went very well today. I tried to import as many of the things I saw here, but like I said, not everything could be included to the letter. However, this will not be the first and last interview, and Fahrenkopf has said he'd be happy to come back any time.

I'm guessing there were no new revelations or such given the lack of chatter?

The interview was aired today and posted just a few hours ago.

http://quadjacks.com/2012/03/21/fran...ker-community/

It's about 40 minutes long, so along with the audio, there is a written guide to some of the main points, although much more was said than just the three things I highlighted.

Just like the questions period, I am hoping to hear as much feedback as you are willing to submit. Thanks, hope you enjoy.

Thanks for posting the link Marco.

I renamed the thread, as the interview is done.

Very good interview, altho I dont think this guy gives 1 s@#$ about the players and is only out to maximizzze revenue for the casinos

Video of the interview for those who want to see Frank face to face.