Washington Awash with Poker Fans

Poker enthusiasts swarmed on the US capital this week in a bid to meet and influence as many congressmen as possible to regulate and legalise the online poker industry in the country.

The lobbying campaign was instigated by the Poker Players Alliance as part of National Poker Week and is backed by some of the big stars in the industry, including Annie Duke, Howard Lederer and others.

The poker players say that a regulated industry will bring in much needed revenue by way of taxes, and also protect the consumer and underage players.

The efforts were met by opposition by a number of politicians, including Spencer Bachus who helped pen the controversial UIGEA gambling bill.

Poker players in the US have been up in arms since the introduction of the UIGEA bill after it was, at the eleventh hour, tagged onto the Safe Port Bill - a bill that really had to be accepted by Washington.

It'll be a long haul yet but with increased demonstrative power, will the "Land of the Free" somehow escape their poker dictatorship?

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