The latest U.S. poker bill that will be considered by Congress at some point presumably in the next session is nicknamed the Reid-Kyl bill, after its coauthors Senators Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Jon Kyl, a Republican. Before that bill ever makes it before Congres, however, one of the biggest voices in Washington for the online poker player, the PPA (or Poker Player’s Alliance) has already written the two Senators a letter requesting modifications to the existing draft of their bill.
The November 2nd letter from Chairman Alfonse D’Amato of the PPA praised the two Senators as well as many aspects of the bill, but also listed 6 areas in which the bill can improve. One point is that states already offering commercial poker live through non-tribal gaming outlets should already be considered opted-in to the proposed federal program without having to take any other specific action to opt in.
In addition the PPA opposes the proposed 15-month waiting period operators would be subjected to before being allowed to deal cards online. The PPA also encouraged allowing international players to join the player pools the bill would open to U.S. players, thereby increasing revenue and player liquidity. The PPA letter also recommended a provision directing the IRS to come up with guidelines for poker players to file income taxes on money won playing online poker. The PPA also stands behind Indian tribes and state lotteries that want to get in on the action too, asserting that any federal poker bill cannot exclude those entities from receiving federal online poker licenses.