Former Senator Alphonse D’Amato, who serves as the Chairman of the powerful Poker Players Alliance, has issued a statement showing the group’s disappointment in the recent guilty plea put in by Party Gaming founder, Anurag Dikshit.
Dikshit will be charged for contravening the 1961 Wire Act in the United States and will pay more than $300 million as part of his plea bargain.
“The Poker Players Alliance is disappointed to learn of Anurag Dikshit's guilty plea to the Department of Justice under the Wire Act,” said Dikshit. “To be clear, as a private settlement between two parties, the plea does not change existing laws in the United States, nor does it establish any kind of precedent moving forward.”
“This disagreement among Federal law enforcement and lawmakers results in confusion for the millions of Americans who legally play online poker in this country," continued the PPA. “We hope legislators in the upcoming Congress will take note of this disparity and pass legislation that affirms poker's legal status and responsibly regulates the online poker industry.”