Washington, DC (February 8, 2011) –The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, is a sponsor of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this Thursday through Saturday in Washington, D.C. This will be the third year PPA has participated in CPAC, using the conference as an opportunity to increase awareness among conservative audiences of the need to preserve Americans’ basic freedoms by supporting poker player’s rights.

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker champion, will participate in an autograph signing session for attendees on Friday and be available for interviews with media, conservative bloggers and talk radio hosts.

“Poker is a game of skill that millions of Americans across the country and across the political aisles enjoy,” Raymer said. “As this great American pastime has advanced in the 21st century to an internet platform, the freedom to engage online has been continually challenged. Now, more than ever, we need politicians and activists to fight to preserve the basic American right to play poker.”

On Saturday at 2:30 pm, John Pappas, PPA’s Executive Director, will speak to the importance of regulating online poker to ensure a safe environment for players and online consumers, as well as providing much needed support to the U.S. economy in the panel, “The Future of Internet Freedom: Regulate or Liberate?” Contributing to the discussion will be the Honorable Robert McDowell, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission, Professor John Kindt of the University of Illinois and Moderator Wayne Crews, Vice President for Policy, Director of Technology Studies for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

In addition to the panel, PPA is hosting an exclusive poker tournament on Friday night, co-hosted by conservative groups Americans for Tax Reform, Big Government, CEI, and GOProud, and PPA again will have its booth (306) in the exhibit hall from Thursday through Saturday.

For more information or to request an interview with John Pappas or Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, please contact Teresa Schofield at 202-347-7516.