Sample Letter From a Patron
Dear Legislator,
As this session gets going, I ask you to please revisit this area which was crippled during the last session of the General Assembly.
"I am your constituent and I support charitable gaming in the form of poker."
I wish there was a good reason these charity fund raisers were purposely put out of business overnight last July 1st by actions of the General Assembly last year. These venues had invested a lot of money and time to insure that the games were run fairly and legally. This action really smells of casino lobbyists controlling the actions of the Assembly to rid the Commonwealth of potential competitors once the casinos are up and running. Why is this treated so much differently than bingo? Many of these charities relied on charitable gaming to raise substantial funding for their organizations. There are a number of reasons why this new law needs to be revisited and reversed.
- The charities across the Commonwealth last year alone donated over 50 million dollars towards their charitable missions.
- The opportunity to play poker has created hundreds of jobs in the commonwealth increasing the tax base in our state.
- The games have been well run and of the highest integrity.
- Poker is a VERY popular game that is played all over the world. The popularity of poker has grown consistently in the last 20 years.
- Virginia Poker players finally have places to play poker without having to drive out of state to play.
- The charities have created safe environments to play poker.
- We would like to continue to have these poker venues to play the game that we love.
- Accompanying sale of food and beverages at these venues also increases the tax base even further.
Unfortunately, since I no longer have local access to my hobby which I love, I am once again forced to travel to Maryland to partake in the action and once again, I am taking money out of state that should be staying in Virginia and benefiting the citizens of Virginia. To realize the extent of this money exodus, just take a ride through the parking deck at MGM-National Harbor, just across the Potomac from Virginia. You will find quite a few cars with Virginia plates in the deck. Why are my legislators ignoring this? I believe it has a lot to do with kowtowing to the casino lobby.
I am asking sincerely for you to vote to reverse the legislation enacted against these fund raisers last year. Thank you for your time to give this subject your study and serious consideration. This is unfair to the charities, the players, and the Commonwealth, when it could be a win for all!
Sincerely,