Poker lobbying group the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has formed an organization to provide free legal advice about poker-related issues.

The organization, called the PPA Litigation Support Network, will assist everyone from those arrested in poker raids to those who simply have questions about the legality of a poker fundraiser.

In a news release posted on its website, www.pokerplayersalliance.org, the PPA announced the formation of the Litigation Support Network and described it as a “free member service” that “will provide basic, initial legal advice as well as refer members to a network of attorneys who have expressed interest in helping PPA members with poker-related legal issues.”

The news release, in part, continues: “As poker, both online and offline, continues to grow in popularity, there has been a rise in the amount of police raids on home, tavern or charity poker tournaments. Many of the local and state laws on poker are arcane and vague, so players don’t necessarily know if they are violating a law.

“PPA’s Litigation Support Network provides PPA members with a free, legal resource should they have questions as they organize a charity poker tournament, start a poker league or, in the worst case scenario, get arrested. In these situations, PPA members can contact the Litigation Support Network via the PPA website and obtain free, preliminary legal advice over the phone.

“Should they need additional support, they will be given a list of attorneys in their area who are willing to take their case. Additionally, the network of attorneys will be tapped to help prepare PPA in the event the organization needs to litigate that poker is a game of skill, not a game of chance.”

According to the news release, the Litigation Support Network will be headed by Patrick Fleming, an attorney who is also the PPA’s state director for New Hampshire.

Fleming is quoted in the news release saying, “The patchwork of state and local laws relating to poker is leaving PPA members confused about what is legal and what is illegal. In our ongoing efforts to protect the rights of Americans to play poker, the establishment of the Litigation Support Network will provide members with an added level of security as they enjoy the game in their homes, at their local pub or as a way to help a local charity.” =A0 PPA Chairman Al D’Amato, a former senator from New York who is being paid $5 million yearly by the PPA to try to get online poker officially legalized in the U.S., is quoted in the news release saying, “As both the popularity of poker and the membership of PPA continue to grow, the Litigation Support Network is an opportunity to provide even more value to our members. With the myriad local, state and federal laws impacting poker, the Litigation Support Network is an important service that our members can and should use, and I encourage attorneys who want to defend poker players and this great American game of skill to join this effort.”

According to the PPA website, the PPA currently has 955,039 members.

Some of those members have paid a membership fee to join the PPA, but most were able to join free through online poker rooms they patronize.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)