PPA Joins Lawsuit Against PokerStars to Help Kentucky Grinders

PPA joins lawsuit against PokerStars to ensure Kentucky poker players are protected. (Image: windowssearch-exp.com)

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is joining a lawsuit filed against PokerStars in a bid to support the online poker community and, surprisingly, the operator itself.

Announced late last week, the PPA’s decision to join the lawsuit filed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky may appear to be a move against PokerStars but the reality is quite different.

Wanting to clear up any confusion before inaccurate reports filtered through the poker community, the PPA’s Rich Muny outlined that the pro-poker organization was joining the lawsuit to ensure players were fairly compensated.

PPA Doing it for Poker

According to the details of Kentucky’s filing, PokerStars owes tens of millions of dollars to the state by way of compensation to players who lost their funds after the Black Friday shutdowns in 2011.

However, John Pappas, the Executive Director of the PPA, believes that the lawsuit is nothing but an attempt by Kentucky politicians and attorneys to suck more money out of the poker community.

In the past Kentucky has seized a total of 141 poker domains and received more than $6 million in payments since 2008.

This, combined with Kentucky’s general attitude towards online poker, has prompted the PPA to join the lawsuit and prevent was Pappas believes is a cynical “money grab” by the government.

“This is a cynical big government money grab of private consumer dollars to pay for political excesses. This entire lawsuit is based on a long-shunned 19th Century sore loser statute, which is about as applicable today as the anti-dueling laws still on the books,” said Pappas.

A Trojan Horse Attack

Although PokerStars refutes the allegations in the lawsuit and will continue to fight it in court, the PPA has joined the suit in the event that Kentucky emerges victorious.

Essentially staging a coup from the inside, the PPA will act as a Trojan Horse and attempt to ensure that any money Kentucky wins from the suit will be distributed to poker players within the state.

Additionally, the PPA is also supporting the push by 14,000 Kentucky residents to have online poker regulated within the state. Backed by the law firm Lynch, Cox, Gilman & Goodman, the PPA hopes that it can continue to win over lawmakers and politicians in 2016.

For now, however, it will take an active role in the lawsuit against PokerStars and attempt to protect those who were left in the cold after the online poker industry was shutdown in 2011.

Related posts:

Latvia Blacklists Leading Poker Sites Mansion Poker Quitting UK in Tax Hike Huff Andorra Online Poker Nears Approval Hendon Mob Threatens Polish Ministry Suit Over Alleged Data Hacking