Online Poker Ban Gone
Online Poker Ban Gone Read update to this story here.

A major victory for poker players and gambling aficionados occurred today when the Republican Party removed the wording in their platform calling for bans on Internet gambling. The Poker Players Alliance had lobbied the party, pointing out that many core Republicans enjoyed poker and gambling, and would be upset to see themselves not represented in the platform.

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina said of the decision, "“We can use this to make the tent bigger." Clearly, the party realized it was not in line with its constituency on this issue.

The two previous writings of the platform, in 2000 and 2004, had said, "“Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support legislation prohibiting gambling over the Internet..."

But that language has been removed as of today, rewarding the grass-roots efforts of the PPA, Online Poker Website, and many other online gambling sites that encouraged voters to speak their views.

Burr said the issue could still be added by amendment, but the prospects of that seem dim after the intensive response by write-ins on the platform website.

PPA executive director John Pappas said, "This is a small victory in our determined effort to educate both sides of the aisle that there is a true constituency in America that values its Internet freedoms."