Online Poker Rights Defended Well by Ben Affleck

Poker made a public splash at the Democratic Party Convention in Denver as a charity tournament drew stars and celebrities to play, and raised over $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Actor-director Ben Affleck was the most recognizable face in a crowd of famous participants, and Affleck succeeded in outlasting over a hundred other players to win the tournament.

The tournament was sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance under the motto “Poker is Not a Crime: Join the Fight.” The Alliance paid for playing space at Coors Field, the operating costs including dealers and equipment, and covered the per-person buy-in of $500.

The event was designed to draw attention to the online poker debacle, in which the federal government has persecuted online gambling sites and their owners since the UIGEA was snuck onto a 2006 port security bill. Affleck, Sarah Silverman, Montel Williams, and Richard Dreyfuss were among the players that both supported the worthy cause and gave notice that poker, America’s game, should be left alone by politicians.

Ben Affleck, who has been rumored for years to be contemplating a political career, showed through his actions his sympathy lies with poker enthusiasts whose game has been attacked by close-minded religious demagogues.

Democrats have been given an opportunity to attract large groups of disenchanted Republicans following the reinstatement yesterday in the Republican platform of wording that condemns online wagering. Hundreds of poker players naming themselves core Republicans had written on the platform website of their desire to see the party honor its commitment to individual liberty and remove language asking for a ban on Internet gambling, and the party responded for a few hours by striking the clause.

But Republican officials reacted quickly to protests by radical special-interest groups, and alienated thousands of voters with the return of the passage. Democrats could draw strongly from this disaffected voting block by following Affleck’s example and embracing poker and its fans.

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