In Denver an organized group attracts celebrities and lawmakers. A ban on Internet gambling has been passed by Congress. After that John Pappas, a PR man, decided that he had to be in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. He represented online poker players. The internet players couldn’t block the bill in any way, they didn’t even know each other or just by their online nickname.

So, they hadn’t the power, but they had computers and passion. In 18 months they learned a lot about the nexus of politics and influence. One night they managed a transformation of Colorado’s major league baseball team, Coors Field, into a poker palace and the best thing is that they invited guests like lawmakers who banned their online gambling.

On the second night of the convention, Hillary Clinton had a speech and soon the club room look like early Las Vegas and many members of Congress, fans of the game and celebrities came. Pappas explained that there’s no better way to deliver the gamblers message than to be present at the convention, where all the responsible politicians are.
The online gambling grew into a big $ 15 billion industry in a very short time, but there are religious and family groups which despise Internet gambling. They consider it as a modern social illness that ruins marriages. Social conservatives and Republicans were the responsible ones who had the power that the online gambling ban went through in 2006. Since than the internet gamblers formed a network and in that way they are protesting against the ban.
Pappas, who is a Republican, said that the players could get the attention of political leaders, only if they did something big and public.

That’s the reason why Pappas organized a big event at Coors Field. Ben Affleck participated and that was a great thing for the poker players. With Affleck other celebrities came, like Richard Dreyfuss, Seth Myers, Sarah Silverman and Montel Williams. There was a big media interest on this event.
This event was a charity tournament which is important, because otherwise lawmakers couldn’t attend the event hosted by corporations.
All players donated about $ 500, those who didn’t play donated a little less. All the money went to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Pappas expected to raise $ 100,000. Also if the Poker Players Alliance spent $ 30,000 for the event, the most important thing was to achieve that Washington legalized the online gambling.
An attorney from Denver, Marc Schtul said that it should be just his business if he wanted to spend hours on the computer playing poker.
Many persons appreciated the work the Poker Players Alliance did and at the end they really succeed.