PPA Declares Victory in Minnesota

On Thursday, The Minnesota Department of Public Safety decided it was dropping its attempt to force ISPs to block several online gambling sites to Minnesota residents. The PPA press release can be found below.

UPDATE: Not so fast, my friend. Apparently, the Minnesota DPS hasn\’t officially dropped its effort, but its expected to happen by early next week, stay tuned for further updates.

Poker Players Alliance Declares Victory in Minnesota
State Drops Enforcement Against ISPs Allowing Access to Internet Poker

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 4, 2009) –The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide (and more than 15,000 in Minnesota), declared victory as news broke that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety was dropping enforcement action against Internet Service Providers that provide access to Internet gambling sites, including legal Internet poker sites. The announcement was made by Representative Pat Garofalo, who indicated that the matter was concluded after “the legal position underlying the issuance of the notices was reconsidered.” Garofalo specifically credited the PPA and the Interactive Gaming Council with contributing to the conclusion of the matter.

“This is a great day for internet freedom,” said Garofalo. “In the spirit of cooperation and in recognition of the rescission of these notices, I am more than happy to withdraw my bill and in its place sponsor a discussion aimed at establishing a framework for regulating and licensing the online gaming industry.”

“Minnesota poker players made our voices heard, the state listened and ended its ill-advised and improper attempt to circumvent the rights of Minnesota poker players,” said Matthew Werden, Minnesota State Director of the Poker Players Alliance. “We commend Representative Garofalo for literally taking this misguided effort head on and resolving it without incident.”

“We are extremely proud of our membership for unifying so quickly and effectively in opposition to this action,” said John Pappas, Executive Director of the PPA. “We look forward to working with all parties involved to reach a sensible framework for regulation of this 21st Century pastime.”

For more information please visit www.pokerplayersalliance.org