PPA Discloses 2005 Finances

The poker lobbying group, Poker Players Alliance (PPA), has released its 2005 Form 990 tax return to the public. While it is not required to do so, the organization feels it is in its best interest to keep its members informed as to the use of their membership fees.

The publication of the financial document may have stemmed partly from public criticism the organization has received on internet message boards. The primary complaint levied by poker fans is that the PPA has been less-than-transparent as to its operations. Nobody really knew where their donations were going.

In the tax return, the PPA stated that it received almost $1.2 million in “direct public support” in 2005. One would assume that this figure combines donations and membership fees, even though there is a separate line for “membership dues,” which was left blank.

Only $220,000 went towards actual lobbying activities, while approximately $278,000 was spent on “Advertising Marketing.”

The PPA paid out $135,000 in salaries and wages, including $25,000 in total to the members of the Board of Directors. Legal fees, totaling almost $111,000, make up the other major expense for the organization.

Of the almost $400,000 in assets that the PPA listed for 2005, only $83,000 was actually in cash. The rest was inventory.

Presumably, lobbying expenditures were ramped up in 2006. Perhaps more importantly, the ratio of lobbying dollars to marketing dollars was hopefully much higher.

Originally published 6:41 PM Tuesday, January 30, 2007