Republican Party United States Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has included a clause in his overall platform that suggests he will attempt to prohibit Online Poker.
In his platform, which was approved at the recent Republican Convention, Romney argued that he would like to “make the internet family-friendly” and part of that includes the prohibition of gambling over the internet.
“Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support the prohibition of gambling over the Internet and call for reversal of the Justice Department’s decision distorting the formerly accepted meaning of the Wire Act that could open the door to Internet betting,” Romney’s platform said.
The news has come as a disappointment to the Poker Players Alliance, who were on a high after a United States District Court Judge ruled that poker was a game of skill, not chance.
“We were hoping they’d just remain silent on it this year. We thought there was a decent chance they would just let it go and not speak on the issue at all. I hadn’t heard it mentioned at the convention. But it’s very difficult to get something removed when it’s on the previous platform,” Rich Muny, vice president of player relations for the Poker Players Alliance said.
What makes the decision, to include the anti-online poker sentiments in the platform, even more disappointing is the fact that leading Republican Senators Jon Kyl and Dean Heller are strongly involved in the push for a bill that would allow for the licensing and regulation of online poker.
“It is unfortunate that the authors of the platform are at odds with many House Republicans who are leading the charge for licensed and regulated online poker, but it is even worse that they are so out of touch with the actual voters,” Muny said.
