That\’s the word Annie put out about 10:30 pm last night, via twitter:
AnnieDuke Heading to DC tomorrow. Testifying Wednesday at 2pm in front of Chairman Frank\’s Committee on his new legislation to regulate online gaming.
about 4 hours ago via web
Apparently it\’s the real deal taking shape in DC. Annie, of course, has been in this position before and delivered admirably … and that was before she had faced off several times in front of Donald Trump in the Apprentice board room.
Still unclear how far the current package of poker-related bills can go this year. (Frank Bill, McDermott Bill, and think one other in the Senate but have lost track.) Not to be a doubter nor pose as a political Joe Navarro, but it doesn\’t look promising in what\’s sure to be a contentious election season when the three most powerful Dems in America (Obama, Reid, Pelosi) are kinda speaking volumes with their silence on the awesomeness — nay, the righteousness — of internet gambling.
Maybe that\’s what this week\’s hearing is all about?
With Annie testifying in DC, her brother Howard Lederer stepping out in a new way, and their good friend Andy Bloch taking the lead for poker engaging a wider community concerned with internet freedoms as a whole, you can tell — or at least it seems — that poker political forces have shifted gears.
Here’s the full list for Wednesday:
Mr. Ed Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, Discovery Federal Credit Union on behalf of the Credit Union National Association
Mr. Tom Malkasian, Vice Chairman and Director of Strategic Planning, Commerce Casino
The Honorable Lynn Malerba, Tribal Chairwoman, Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut
Mr. Michael K. Fagan, Law Enforcement/Anti-Terrorism Consultant
Ms. Annie Duke, professional poker player on behalf of the Poker Players Alliance
Good post! Wish we had seen Annie’s tweet this morning. In any event, we just put up a blog post with links to the written testimony for all of the witnesses:
http://donsturdy.com/node/61