The Phone March on Washington, a grassroots campaign designed to combat the current internet gambling legislation in Congress and sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance and PocketFives.com, generated thousands of calls by people from all over the country who defended their right to play online poker.
“We’re very excited that so many online poker players and internet gamblers came out in support of the Phone March on Washington,” said PocketFives.com President Cal Spears. “The threat to online poker is real. We hope our Senators heard our message loud and clear today: Do not ban online poker in the United States.”
The bill in question, H.R. 4411, passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin, 317-93, in July. The Senate then went on recess and resumed session just after Labor Day.
“Calling elected officials’ offices shows a great amount of courage and passion for our cause,” said Spears.
The effort caught the attention of several Congressional offices, according to Pocket Fives. A representative from Senator Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) office claimed that the staff had been receiving calls “once every few minutes.” The same was true at Senator Edward Kennedy’s (D-MA) headquarters: “We have received a steady stream of calls all day today.” At Senator Charles Schumer’s (D-NY) office, a spokesperson said they had received “a significant number of calls on the issue.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) position on the issue echoed that of the callers today: “The Senator is not in favor of a ban. She favors regulation in order to prevent children from gambling,” said a representative.
“I think we sent a message today,” said Spears. “Once again thank you to everyone who made the Phone March on Washington a success."
