President Bush has signed into law a ban on online wagering, impacting 23 million Americans who enjoy the game of poker on the Internet. By including this legislation in the SAFE Port Act, Congress and the President bluffed the American people who overwhelmingly oppose federal efforts to ban online poker.

"Today is a dark day for the great American game of poker," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, a grassroots advocacy organization of more than 110,000 poker enthusiasts. "Twenty-three million Americans who play the game online will effectively be denied the ability to enjoy this popular form of entertainment, even in the privacy of their own homes."

Bolcerek added, "Congress had a real opportunity to create good public policy by licensing, regulating and taxing Internet poker.