Grasstops Program Will Provide On-the-Ground Information, Organizing

Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2008) – To further leverage its nationwide reach, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group, today tapped 50 members to serve as PPA directors for their respective states. The State Directors program is part of the organization’s comprehensive strategy to become a player in both national and state-level policy debates.

„With close to one million members, the PPA is fortunate to have a dedicated and active membership base, but we need eyes and ears on the ground to help us,“ said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato. „With the state directors program, we will have a leader in each state who can update us on local news stories or legislation and who can quickly mobilize their fellow local PPA members to help carry the PPA banner in their home state. We are proud of the state directors we have named today and look forward to working with them.“

The 50 state directors, chosen from a pool of over 1000 applicants, are not only active PPA members, but are leaders in their communities who can advocate on behalf of the PPA. State directors will be responsible for monitoring poker-related issues and events in their state and alerting the national PPA office to emerging trends or issues. They will also be tasked with recruiting individuals to join the PPA, organizing groups of local PPA members to attend poker-related events or rallies, contact their elected officials and serve as a spokesperson for local media. In the future, the PPA plans to help state directors set up state PPA committees to further strengthen the organization’s grassroots efforts.

The State Directors program is one component of the PPA‘s aggressive campaign to boost member benefits, augment its grassroots efforts and position the organization and its members as a strong voice in national, state and local policy debates – especially as PPA nears the million member milestone. Additionally, the PPA will be launching a political action committee (PAC), a voter registration campaign, a new website and new membership incentives later this spring.

To see the full list of State Directors and learn more about the PPA State Directors program, please visit www.pokerplayersalliance.org