An e-mail sent to members of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) late Friday night offered the prospects of playing in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for renewing or upgrading to a premium membership. The seat is worth $10,000.
The offer is available until Midnight ET on June 15th and doles out one seat into the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. Last year, a total of 6,844 players entered the Main Event, which saw its final table delayed until November for the very first time in order to coincide with its airing on ESPN. In the end, it came down to a battle of Europe, as Danish poker pro Peter Eastgate bested Russian sensation Ivan Demidov, becoming the youngest WSOP Main Event Champion ever at age 22 and banking $9.1 million.
The offer is good for existing premium members who renew as well as members paying for the first time. The cost of the upgrade is $20, which can be done in a few quick steps online. First, existing members are asked to log in and new members are taken to the organization’s sign-up screen. Once logged in, players should select the “Membership” option, which whisks them to the subscription page. PPA members that do not have an automatically renewing membership will then see the date that their current one expires and a large orange button to “Purchase One Year of PPA Online Premium.” This will extend their renewal date by 365 days and does not eat into current time remaining.
Entrants must be over the age of 21 and a mail-in option to qualify is also available. The lucky winner will be selected at High Noon ET on June 16th. Travel expenses to and from Las Vegas and hotel accommodations are not included. However, the Rio and participating Harrah’s hotels offer discount rates for WSOP players throughout the seven week tournament series. The Main Event kicks off from the massive Amazon Room on July 3rd with the first of four starting days. The tournament plays down to its final table on July 15th, at which point it will be paused for over 100 days and resume in November.
Premium PPA members can take advantage of a variety of discounts on movies, restaurants, hotels, electronics, and travel as part of PPA Advantages. The discount shopping program touts potential savings of over $2,000 every year at over 600 merchants. The program includes instantaneous discounts; no point accumulation is required. Premium members also have access to the PPA’s Litigation Network, which has helped orchestrate successful court cases around the United States. The PPA is in the midst of fighting for the rights of one of its own members, Kevin Raley, who was charged with illegal gambling in Colorado. Finally, Premium PPA members score a card protector and window decal.
The organization is fresh off playing a part in Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) introduction of HR 2266 and HR 2267. The former delays the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from going into effect until December 1st, 2010. The latter bill establishes a complete licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States. Both were introduced on May 6th and referred to the House Financial Services Committee, of which Frank is the Chair. No timeline has yet been announced for their possible discussion in Committee. Besides the PPA, other organizations supporting the bill include Harrah’s and YouBet.com.
Last April, the PPA eclipsed the one million member mark. It has constituents in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. In 2006, it stood at just 50,000 members and has experienced phenomenal growth in terms of numbers and status on Capitol Hill. Much of its growth came with the announcement that former three-term Republican Senator from New York, Alfonse D’Amato, would serve as its Chairman.