Minnesota Legislation

I copy and pasted this off of Jason Senti's Blog on Bluefire Poker. He's a pro who resides in Minnesota. I happen to live in St. Paul, MN myself so that would really suck if they didn't allow me to play online poker. I just called and emailed Governor Tim Pawlenty. I even called the director of AGED and left him a message. Thanks for reading and helping the cause.

See below........

To anyone that hasn't heard, the state of Minnesota recently announced that they are requiring all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to any online gambling sites for residents of MN. This is absolutely ridiculous and blatent censorship of the internet (not to even mention that poker is a skill game, the wire act doesn't apply to the internet, etc)!

Please take action! I have posted some info below that should make it somewhat easy. FYI - I took the letter from a post on 2p2 by the poster "CrazyEyez."

You can copy and paste the following email. Below that is a notification with phone numbers from the PPA.


Email to send to : tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

"Mr. Governor,


I am prompted to write to you because of the recent action taken by the Department of Public Safety to have ISPs block Minnesotan's access to online gambling sites. I will attempt to be brief as I convey some of the reasons I am outraged by this attack on my liberty.

Once again, members of the government and media have falsely characterized the legality of online gambling. We are frequently told that all online gambling is a violation of federal law. This is simply not true. Director of the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division John Willems implies as much in the DPS' own press release. “In broader context, the long-running debate on online gambling continues to raise significant issues, including absence of policy and regulation." Are we to believe that the government has by default the authority to limit all of our actions unless there are laws specifically allowing those actions? I was under the impression that the exact opposite was true. Surely you would not be proud to have your office set limits on the liberties of citizens at it's own discretion.

You, I believe, have taken great pride in calling yourself a conservative. Unfortunately it seems that conservative Republicans are becoming rarer by the month, and therefore your actions as governor have been welcome and refreshing. Minnesota, like many other states, is facing a challenge of historic proportions with regard to it's budget. Now, more than ever, is a time to prioritize needs and look for ways to cut spending in all but the most critical areas. You have presided over significant budget deficits in the past and I applaud the manner in which you resolved them. As a citizen of Minnesota, am I to believe that we have conquered so many other issues facing us that it is prudent to allocate human and monetary resources toward combating internet gambling? Again, Director Willems admits that he has little information on which to base this battle as he has no idea how much online gambling even takes place in the state. "It's hard to know that. I can't tell you if it's one [Minnesotan gambling online] or 500,000." He is clearly incapable of quantifying any sort of detriment to the State which might justify expenditures.

Surely you're aware of Kentucky's unsuccessful attempt to have ISPs block access to online gambling sites. You also must know that expenses to the taxpayers are going to skyrocket once interested parties begin battling this action in court. Internet censorship is something that citizens and businesses take very seriously. This is not merely a gambling issue.

The hypocrisy of this battle is astounding. It is undeniable that Minnesotans enjoy gambling. We have many casinos, a state-run lottery, an interstate lottery, and a proud horse racing history. Less than a year ago a new track and poker room was opened. Is there public demand for the government to "save" us from gambling? Is the State serving the people in this fight?

I implore you to act now. Put a stop to this egregious violation of personal liberty. I take pride in my conservative ideals, and I have been proud to give you my vote in the past. But you will have lost any future votes from me if you allow this to continue, because you will have betrayed the fundamental conservative belief - that individual freedom, not government interference, is valued above all else.

Thank you."



PPA Announcement:


The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has just learned that Minnesota's Department of Public Safety (DPS) Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED) served written notice to all Internet service providers (ISPs) forcing them to shut down and block their customers access to online poker sites in the State.

The AGED also announced that they will be prohibitingMinnesota poker players from accessing their online poker monetary accounts. This is an outrageous attack on Internet freedom, personal liberty and the First Amendment.

Please take a moment right now and call,

John Willems, Director of AGED (651) 201-7529

AND

Governor Tim Pawlenty (651) 296-3391

Tell them:

* You are a poker player and you vote
* You strongly oppose their efforts to force ISPs to block your access to poker sites
* They do not have the right to dictate what you do in the privacy of your own home
* They do not have the right to withhold your money from you
* Poker is a game of skill and NOT ILLEGAL in the USA or Minnesota
* Please abandon this misguided effort to censor the Internet and nullify personal freedoms

Your opinion matters. Your calls matter.

The rights of Minnesota poker players are under attack. Join the Minnesota PPA Facebook page to get the latest news and start discussing the issue with your fellow players.

Our opponents go to government to take our rights from us. We need to do the same to keep them. Please call now. (To leave feedback about your call, click here)

Proud to play,

Matt Werden
PPA State Director
MN@pokerplayersalliance.org

Go get em!

-Jaxx