What is FairPlayUSA?
At first glance FairPlayUSA looks a little like the Poker Players Alliance but an organisation
which only concentrates on online gaming. That’s actually not too far from the truth – FairPlayUSA is a brand new organisation which had as its aims the legalisation of online gambling. Its guiding principles present a long list of safeguards and regulations surrounding any implementation of legalised online gambling but the overall aim is pretty clear – make sure Americans can play poker legally online if they want to.
FairPlayUSA could scarcely be any better organised or run. The three main advisors to the organisation are:
- Parry Aftab. Parry is a lawyer and online consumer protection expert. She is known globally and wrote ‘A Parents Guide to the Internet’, the first ever book about using the internet safely. She is an advisor to many leading tech companies and is in demand as a keynote speaker on internet best practices.
- Tom Ridge. A familiar name even outside the U.S. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Tom Ridge was the first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security – a job which required outstanding organisational and logistical skills when it came to the reorganisation of the U.S. administration. He now runs his own risk management company, Ridge Global.
- Greg Raymer. The 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, Raymer was originally a patent attorney for a biotech company before concentrating on poker. A successful tournament player, he now teaches poker play and theory at the WSOP Academy.
It’s an impressive and necessary trio to have in your corner if your goal is to force the federal government into action. FairPlayUSA is coming at the problem from a largely consumer protection point of view. They state that the lack of online gaming regulation (apart from the shoddy UIGEA) leaves those who do continue to play online open to a ‘wild west’ situation, where no one is really safe. And let’s not forget that the playing of poker online for money is not illegal – it’s just the payment processing that is banned. Below is FiarPlayUSA’s list of solutions:
