Take Action Before Thursday's Congressional Hearing on RAWA Online Poker Ban
This Thursday, March 5, the House Judiciary subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations will hold a hearing on H.R. 707, which is better known as the Sheldon Adelson-backed Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA). The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), 3rd District, seeks to ban states from authorizing online poker.
If RAWA were to become law, Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware — the three states that have legalized iGaming — would be forced to give up on their current iGaming operations.
"The opponents of your freedom to play online, led by casino magnate billionaire Sheldon Adelson, have stacked the deck for this hearing," says the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). "They have loaded the witness panel with anti-poker zealots who have no real-world knowledge of how Internet poker works."
The PPA is urging poker players to stand up for their rights by reaching out to the members of the subcommittee and expressing their opposition to H.R. 707. This is as simple as taking 10 seconds to send a pre-filled Tweet, or if you have a few minutes to spare, to call each of their offices and tell them that the bill ignores the rights of states, puts politicians in charge of the Internet, and it tramples on your freedom to play the game we love.
Here's a look at look at the members of the House Judiciary subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, which consist of Chaffetz and four other RAWA cosponsors:
| State | Name | Twitter Handle | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), 37th District | @RepKarenBass | 202-225-7084 |
| MI | Rep. Mike Bishop (R-MI), 8th District | @RepMikeBishop | 202-225-4872 |
| CO | Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), 4th District | @RepKenBuck | 202-225-4676 |
| OH | Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), 1st District | @RepSteveChabot | 202-225-2216 |
| UT | Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), 3rd District | @jsoninthehouse | 202-225-7751 |
| CA | Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), 27th District | @RepJudyChu | 202-225-5464 |
| VA | Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), 4th District | @Randy_Forbes | 202-225-6365 |
| TX | Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), 1st District | @replouiegohmert | 202-225-3035 |
| VA | Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), 6th District | @repgoodlatte | 202-225-5431 |
| SC | Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), 4th District | @TGowdySC | 202-225-6030 |
| IL | Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), 4th District | @Repgutierrez | 202-225-8203 |
| TX | Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), 18th District | @JacksonLeeTX18 | 202-225-3816 |
| ID | Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-ID), 1st District | @Raul_Labrador | 202-225-6611 |
| Puerto Rico | Rep. Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico), AL District | @pedropierluisi | 202-225-2615 |
| TX | Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), 2nd District | @JudgeTedPoe | 202-225-6565 |
| LA | Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), 2nd District | @RepRichmond | 202-225-6636 |
| WI | Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), 5th District | @JimPressOffice | 202-225-5101 |
We encourage you to protect your right to play poker and stand up against Adelson's RAWA. For more information, and to send convenient pre-filled tweets, visit theppa.org.
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
