Congressman Robert Wexler Gives “Shuffle Up and Deal” Order on Day 1D

It’s always an honor to give the “Shuffle Up and Deal” command at the World Series of Poker. It’s a right that is usually reserved for a past champion or a dignitary of an enormous caliber. On Sunday, which was Day 1D of the 2008 WSOP Main Event, six-time Democratic Congressman from Florida Robert Wexler spoke the traditional words. Wexler was at the Rio in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Poker Players Alliance, the leading lobbying group for the online poker industry in the United States.

Pre-game ceremonies prior to Day 1A featured appearances by Vegas icon Wayne Newton and the UNLV Marching Band. On Day 1B, 2007 WSOP Main Event Champion Jerry Yang gave the call to start dealing. On Day 1C, country music star Andy Griggs performed “It’s All About the Money.” On Sunday, Robert Wexler and Poker Players Alliance Chairman Alfonse D’Amato addressed the crowd before play started.

The PPA has established itself in force at the 2008 WSOP. A booth located adjacent to the media room (and just outside of the Amazon Room) is manned by a PPA representative. Each day, the organization has hosted a bevy of recognizable poker pros, including Doyle Brunson , PokerStars pros Humberto Brenes and Daniel Negreanu , Ultimate Bet pro and 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth , and Eli Elezra. As a result of this grassroots effort and many others like it since the PPA first began, the organization has ballooned to over one million members. Wexler stated afterwards, “The PPA’s objective is to create a groundswell of support for legislation like mine and others in order to give people their freedom back. In order to effectively persuade Congress, individuals need to be registered as voters. The PPA also needs to flex some political muscle. This is done by building up numbers and then motivating its membership to vote on this issue.”

Wexler’s legislation in question is HR 2610, the Skill Game Protection Act. As you may have already guessed, HR 2610 exempts games deemed as being determined by skill from all existing legislation on the books. This includes the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was passed back in 2006. The bill was introduced about one year ago and has 22 co-sponsors. The meat of the legislation is as follows: “As used in this section, the term `bets or wagers' does not include operating, or participation in, poker, chess, bridge, mahjong or any other game where success is predominantly determined by a player's skill, to the extent that--
`(1) the game provides for competition only between and among participants, and not against the person operating the game; and
`(2) the operator is in compliance with regulations issued pursuant to section 5368 of title 31, United States Code.'”

In the United States, Congress currently has plenty to worry about. Gas prices have topped $4 per gallon nationwide and $5 in some areas. Ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has pervaded Congressional discussions. The housing market is collapsing. In this climate, how can online poker find time to be discussed? Wexler explained, “We can do more than one thing at a time. The reason why we should act is because the Congress of the United States created this mess two years ago. What we’re seeking to do is unravel the mess.”

At a hearing on Wednesday June 25th HR 5767, a bill proposed by Barney Frank and Ron Paul (one Democrat and one Republican) that would have stopped implementation of the regulations of the UIGEA, was defeated in the House Financial Services Committee. Congressman Wexler’s HR 2610 is just one of several bills that could bring online poker back in full force to the United States.