The Poker Players Alliance has been searching for a stronger voice to drive the cause to legalize online poker. PPA President Michael Bolcerek has been in the news several times but seems to lack the Beltway punch.

Rumors are swirling that poker sites and the PPA have decided to hire former Senator Al D'Amato to lead the charge. With several years of experience in the political arena, including eighteen years on the Senate floor, this could be the type of voice online poker needs to move forward towards being regulated in the United States.

Again, these are only rumors swirling at this time, hopefully there will be something more definitive by the end of the week (which I'll report here). Any progress by the PPA at this time would show that the organization is fighting to preserve the game we've grown to love. The lack of real progress by the PPA has gained several opponents, such as several posters on the 2+2 website, where they question if the organization is doing the right thing by demanding a carve out for poker versus legalizing all online gambling. Also, they raise concerns about where the money has gone from the donations to the PPA.

Could Senator D'Amato whisper in enough ears so the millions of online poker players out there can continue to throw some virtual chips around? Let's hope so.