The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, today launched “Poker Jokers”, a new advocacy effort highlighting state and federal lawmakers up for re-election who have supported federal and/or state prohibitions on Internet poker in the past year. Given the continued legislative stalemate in Congress, the Poker Jokers webpage is this year’s version of PPA’s annual Congressional Ratings Guide. Poker Jokers spotlights every lawmaker who has sided with Sheldon Adelson this year in his effort to deny Americans their right to play Internet poker.

“Unfortunately, all of these lawmakers have decided to put politics before their constituents by siding with Sheldon Adelson in supporting an online poker ban that would deny consumers of the meaningful protections that can only be achieved through responsible state or federal regulation,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “We’re asking PPA members and anyone who values consumer freedom and states’ rights to make their voices heard today in Washington and on Election Day by taking these jokers out of the deck.”

Through this new webpage, voters can easily contact each lawmaker via social media, email,  phone or fax, urging these politicians to reassess their stance on Internet poker. “A federal prohibition on Internet poker would only serve to expand an underground market and deny states their right to establish a safe and regulated online marketplace. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, it is time that our nation’s elected officials consider the opinions of the voters over that of a billionaire,” continued Pappas.

About The Poker Players Alliance
The Poker Players Alliance (www.theppa.org; http://twitter.com/ppapoker; www.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.