Capitol Hill has acquired a new lobbying group, but this one is pro-online gambling and their aim is to get the wheels of legalization turning in Congress.

FairPlayUSA was created when a group of high power, pro-online casino organisations and individuals came together to fill the need for a collective stand against Congress, which has been dragging its heels over the issue of legislation to legalise online casinos. The coalition, which thinks of itself as an advisory board, has based itself in Washington DC to be near to the seat of power. From there, their aim is to educate and inform the general public as well as political policymakers of the urgent necessity to reform the federal laws on Internet gambling.

The members that make up FairPlayUSA come from a variety of areas, such as consumer protection activists, law enforcement officials, commercial gaming businesses and poker players. Caesars and MGM have put up the money to finance the project in its initial stages, since they both have a vested interest in a favourable outcome of any political reformation on the issue of online gambling legalization. The group expects to become self funding as momentum picks up and more supporters join the ranks.

Currently within those ranks are some prominent celebrities along with several power players in Washington. They include the former Governor of Pennsylvania and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, attorney Parry Aftab who specialises in the laws governing privacy and security on the Internet and from the board of the Poker Players' Alliance, pro poker player Greg Raymer. 

While the Poker Players' Alliance has done a lot of work in bringing the argument over whether poker is a game of skill or luck to the forefront of political awareness, they have yet to have any real success in getting Congress to pass a workable online poker bill. The members of FairPlayUSA are aiming to go a lot further in that direction.

A website has been created at fairplayusa.com with the aim of raising awareness in the general public and getting Congress to come up with a workable solution to the current status quo. FairPlayUSA want gaming legislation that regulates online gambling operators and safeguards players while ensuring that the necessary child protection safeguards exist. At the same time, they stress that adults have the right to gamble online if they so choose and that right must be legitimised.

The website displays a petition to Congress that they address the offshore online gambling issue while providing law enforcement with the power to penalise illegal gambling websites. America's millions of poker players will certainly benefit from a positive outcome.