yes it has begun. So far, fewer than we need. Every concerned player in WA should step up and knock out 200 signatures in May.

has anyone written their legislator regarding I-582 yet? let them know we're pushing for regulated poker. See if you can get a meeting after the session.

We may be losing Dave Upthegrove as an ally in the Legislature. He is running for a seat on the King County Council

I have access to a color printer and will see approximately 25 new people a week every week. I assume I can help? (I live in WA)

Sorry I'm a little out of the loop on what I need to do besides print the petitions and ask people to sign em as I see them. Is there more to it?

Not sure I could find the time to go to a mall and pound the pavement unless it was absolutely necessary, but I could certainly get quite a bit of printing done out of pocket and would be able to collect signatures slowly over time.

The petitions have to be printed full size, which is 11" x 17", and they are two-sided, as the full measure has to appear on the back side of each petition. Other than that it's straight forward. Every bit helps, if you can get people you know to sign them that is great.

It's important that we collect signatures on both measures (I-582 and I-583) simultaneously. This will allow us to keep our options open at the end of the year. If the tribes are not on board by the end of the year, we probably don't want to go to the ballot with 582. However, 583 should do well at the polls, I think everyone will agree that a felony for playing penny-ante poker is ridiculous, especially contrasted against the fact that it takes a fifth DUI to be a felony.

Lets get this done!!!!

with the PS/AC deal apparently dead, this is still a viable way to get Pokerstars back in the USA.

No Casino ownership requirement.
No 'bad actors' clause

Why the restriction that an operators/players must be within the state boundaries? That basically kills any hopes of a decent sized player pool. What am I missing?

I would rather hold out for a world wide player pool rather than half ass something that will just get in the way of expansion later when federal regulation eventually passes. Same reason I was against the bill lowering the penalty for online play in WA from a felony to a misdemeanor. It doesn't do enough, and will be an impediment in the future.

Washington State can only pass laws for Washington State. I would say that Washington does have adequate player base to sustain intrastate play. I would also argue that it is in no way an impediment to expansion thru compacting or should a Federal bill pass.

If we have licensed poker in WA, the likelihood of WA opting in to a Federal plan is much higher than it is with online poker being a felony.

sitting on our hands and doing nothing but waiting is the reason we are seven years now with this stupid law, and few glimmers of hope for change.

I-582 isn't perfect, but it's a good start. And put against any of the bills being debated anywhere in the US, I like our language much better.

So, just to clarify, the language of the current bill, if passed, enables PokerStars to seek licensing in WA, but, assuming PokerStars is granted a license, basically calls for an isolated Washington player pool? Or does it enable anyone within WA to play on PokerStars vs. the other 200k players on PokerStars?

Just as in NV/NJ and in every bill being considered in any state in the US, current player pools will be restricted to 'intrastate' play. That is, until such time as it becomes viable for states to enter into inter-state compacts.

Those inter-state compacts will not come about until there are several more states with regulated gaming, and assumes those regulations will allow for compacting.

If Pokerstars were to establish a Washington State business entity, that entity would be able to apply for a license.

The actual regulations will be decided by the Washington State Gambling Commission.

So we'll likely never see U.S. + ROW play again.

Still, would be sick to have Stars VIP system nationwide but if federal legislation passes with strict bad actor clauses, seems like it could undermine the efforts by the individual states, (WA and IL, for example) that don't have bad actor clauses.

Still, any progress is progress, hope this passes!

Even with Federal legislation, Washington State law must be changed before we would be able to participate. Initiative 582 is written with very few statutory elements, leaving implementation largely up to the Washington State Gambling Commission.

Should a Federal bill be enacted after the passage of I-582, more than likely only adjustments to the rules implemented by the WSGC will be required, meaning no further legislative action.

I-582 also has a severability clause, so if any part of it is affected by Federal Law, the rest of the measure remains intact. This is especially important in the unlikely event Federal Law is enacted first.

Regardless of what happens at the Federal level, I-582 is still a very much needed change in State law, so that we can play for $$ once again.

You can send prefilled tweets to Washington State lawmakers from this page . . .

http://wai582.blogspot.com/2013/05/s...-to-state.html

The current message is displayed at the top, and I will change the message one or two times a week. The links remain the same, so use them to let Olympia know we want the law changed, and our freedom to play internet poker returned.

Yesterday I played at Snoqualmie Casino's online cardroom. It appears to be the 888 poker software, and while it is (currently) only 'play money,' it stands to reason they are looking ahead at an inevitable change in the legal landscape.

So now we must face the possibility of the Tribes gaining control, if not exclusivity, of internet poker in Washington. While I expect Rep. Harris to introduce a bill in the next session, I also fear Olympia could give it all to the Tribes, and prevent sites like Pokerstars from entering our market.

The language of 582 would keep the market open, and encourage companies like Pokerstars to set up shop in Redmond, bringing jobs with them. Regardless of whether we make our signature goal this fall, we must keep letting our legislators know we want an open market, and that such an open market is in the best interest of the consumers.

Sorry to be blunt, but how many sigs do you have? I could prob get 100 or so, but if our chances are slim to none honestly I don't want to waste my and my friends' time.

I have to concede, we are not going to get anywhere near our signature goal in the time remaining. However, all is not lost with the effort. More valuable to the cause than the 100 or signatures would be for you to make sure your two representatives and state senator are aware of our issue, and have at least seen the language of 582.

Between now and the end of the year we are working to build a true coalition of Washington players, properly organized and better funded, to fight for the game. It was a bit naive of me to think we could plow right into an initiative drive without building a proper foundation first.

Become a member of WIPI and help us build that foundation.