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On Monday, a member of Congress, Michael Grimm (R-NY), submitted a press release regarding the good work of FairPlayUSA, an organization whose goal is to "educate policymakers and the public on the broad public policy interests raised by the current ambiguous laws in the U.S. that have led to millions of Americans gambling on the internet." The Congressman communicated his support for the organization's attempts to persuade the federal government that regulation for legal online poker needs to be put into place.
""I applaud the efforts of FairPlayUSA for launching its coalition to combat illegal gambling," said a portion of Rep. Grimm's statement. "As a former FBI agent, I fully support the efforts to create a strong regulatory framework for legal online poker and to crack down on illegal sites, many of whom have ties to organized crime. With many adult online poker players in my District of Staten Island and Brooklyn, I support their right to continue playing; however, I agree that it must be in a law-abiding forum that provides protections for America's consumers and children. Together we must fight for the return of quality, good paying jobs to the United States and a strong regulatory framework for legal online poker will contribute to that goal."
Even though one might be a bit offended by his assumption that many so called "illegal sites" are tied to organized crime, his overall desire to create a legal playing environment for players in the US is big positive.
FairPlayUSA wants to provide framework for legal online gambling so that the UIGEA can be more clearly defined on what exactly constitutes as illegal. This would remove all the gray area from the online gaming industry as we know it and lay the groundwork for an industry which thrives legally in the United States. This is what many poker playing Americans have been pushing for ever since the UIGEA was introduced in 2006.
The FairPlayUSA Board of advisors includes some of the most successful poker names in the industry including Greg Raymer. The poker pro has publicly spoken out on the behalf of online poker players everywhere on national television.
It's good to see that online poker players can appreciate at least one more politician who shares their goals of a regulated industry.
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