September 8 - The Poker Players Alliance was told by Massachusetts Attorney General, Martha Coakley that their bid to include online poker on the state`s ballots next year has failed.
Coakley, a vocal opponent of gambling and poker, said that the PPA failed to meet the legal requirements to meet the 2010 ballot.
The Poker Players Alliance and other groups hoping to get poker legalized and regulated in the state are said to be considering their next moves after the latest obstacle.
Online gambling is not expressly banned in Massachusetts, despite that fact that Coakley claims on her website that the activity is illegal.
It was this type of ambiguity that the PPA was hoping to clarify it its petition and to determine once and for all internet gambling and poker`s legal standing in the state.
Attorney General Coakley said on her official website that she had rejected online poker because she had objections to the use of the words `register` and `license` when used to describe the 5% fee on internet gambling that the PPA had mentioned in its proposal. The AG thus rejected the petition, removing any hopes of the issue being included in next year`s ballot.
It is estimated that poker and gambling proponents have spent over $5 million on their lobbying efforts in the past four years.
The PPA is now eyeing warily Coakley`s campaigning efforts as she seeks to fill the Senate seat occupied by the recently deceased Ted Kennedy.
Coakley announced her candidacy - a move that has been met with great objection and has led to questions as to how she is able to run the pressurized AG office and make crucial decisions, all the while campaigning for the Senate sea.
