Adding on to its list of major players in its organization, the poker advocacy group Fair Play USA announced that a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director has joined its Board of Advisors.
In a press conference on Thursday, Fair Play USA announced that former FBI director Louis Freeh had joined the organization and will take a seat on the Board of Advisors. Fair Play USA is an organization that looks to lobby the power players in Washington D. C. as to the benefits of regulated and legalized online poker. Consisting of law enforcement officials, consumer protection experts, poker players and companies in the commercial gaming industry, Fair Play USA has attempted to have an impact on the current state of online poker in the United States through discussions with members of Congress and the current presidential administration.
“Current federal laws fail to provide U. S. law enforcement vital tools to address illegal internet gambling, enabling a “wild west” atmosphere,” Freeh stated during the press conference. “I am joining Fair Play USA to improve this environment by clarifying these laws, better empowering law enforcement agencies to crack down on violators and using licensing and regulation to ensure safe and legal online poker.”
Freeh joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 1975, working assignments both at the Bureau’s headquarters and later transferring to its New York City Field Division. In 1981, Freeh joined the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York as an Assistant United States Attorney. Following a series of promotions after successful high profile federal criminal prosecutions, he was appointed Deputy U. S. Attorney for the Southern District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. Freeh served on the federal bench until his appointment as Director of the FBI by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
His addition to the Board of Advisors of Fair Play USA gives the organization another prominent face in the political realm. Another member of the Board is former Pennsylvania governor and first Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, who joined Freeh during the press conference. “Prohibition hasn’t worked, criminalization doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Ridge added during the press conference. “The alternative is to encourage Congress, with the right input from the law enforcement community, consumer protection advocates, child safety advocates and professional players, to develop a regulatory scheme to enable law enforcement to oversee lawful Internet poker.”
Leading the organization is attorney Parry Aftab, who has been one of the leading advocates on internet issues. Giving the organization a player’s voice, Fair Play USA also counts two prominent members of the poker community on its Board of Advisors. Former World Champion Greg Raymer is joined on the Board by World Poker Tour announcer and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton, which gives Fair Play USA credibility from the players’ perspective. Where the real power lies, however, is in some of the other advocates of the organization.
Two major players in the casino industry are the primary backers of the group and have contributed much of its funding. Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International – two organizations behind the World Series of Poker and many of the World Poker Tour events, respectively – are supporters of Fair Play USA. This has drawn some in the poker community to question the integrity of Fair Play USA and to debate whether it is truly a “grassroots” organization or a front for the gaming giants.
A thread on the Two Plus Two message boards after the group formed in July has debated the legitimacy of Fair Play USA, in part because of its ties to Caesars and MGM. The thread also debates how effective the group can be, as it is noted that social media feeds, such as their Twitter and Facebook pages, for the organization haven’t been updated for some time. Representatives from the organization have been active in the thread and state that, now that the leadership of the group is in place, they will be more active in the future.
