MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/10770F33/INFLUENCINGLAWS.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" A DOZEN TIPS ON

A DOZEN TIPS ON<= /b>

 INFLUENCING POKER LEGISLATION<= /o:p>

by Per= ry Green

 

Perry Green of Anchorage is Alaska’s most famous poker playe= r. Among other things, he was runner-up to Stu Ung= er in the 1981 poker World Championship. He has been trying for several years to obtain legalized cardrooms in Alaska, and has managed to get a poker bill pending in the legislature. Here are so= me of Perry’s tips with smart political savvy for anyone who hopes to influ= ence poker legislation.

 

(1) Have a plan showing the advantages = for tax purposes and sensitive to the social acceptance of the legislation.

 

(2) Have a copy of some state’s p= oker laws you wish to emulate. It is easier to obtain something that has worked = in another state.

  

(3) Use some of the other state's Gaming Commission's own reports as to the effects on people, and point out that ca= rd playing is not as addictive as other gambling such as slots (which are some= times referred to by gaming opponents as “the cocaine of gaming”).

 

(4) Emphasize that a poker room brings = some new jobs into an area.

 

(5) Cast poker in the right light. Poke= r is a social activity much like going to a cafe and having a cup of coffee, and a recreational activity like bowling or golf.

 

(6) Remind people that the pursuit of happiness is a basic right. Playing cards is the favored recreational pursu= it of many people, as important to them as hunting, fishing, and skiing are to others.

 

(7) Point that it costs a family for memberships and equipment for various recreational activities, and that lik= e those other activities, the emotional reward makes them worthwhile.

  

(8) Legalized poker makes it possible t= o run games which are controlled, insuring the honesty of the operation.

 

(9) Legalizing poker allows the games t= o be brought out in the open and insures they will be played for the financial b= enefit of the whole community. 

 

 (10) Point = out that "Idle hands are the work of the devil” and playing cards ke= eps people busy and active.

 

(11) Card-playing is especially needed a= s a suitable recreational activity for seniors who no longer have the ability f= or physical gameplaying. When a person ages, one of= the competitive activities they are still able to do is play cards, and this is "medic= ally therapeutic" because of the socially interactive nature of the games. Playing in a card game where you can win something does not diminish its attractiveness.

 

(12) Hire a lobbyist if you can afford i= t.