Raymer Takes Formal Leave from PPA
Noted professional poker player and outspoken supporter of online poker regulation Greg “Fossilman” Raymer will be taking a leave of absence from his position on the board of lobbying group the Poker Players Alliance, it was announced this week. This news comes on the heels of his shocking arrest last week after he got caught up in an Internet prostitution sting.
Raymer, winner of the 2004 WSOP Main Event, was busted along with five other men last week at a North Carolina hotel after police posted a bogus ad online for a female prostitute. All six men were charged with a misdemeanor prostitution charge in addition to an attempted crime against nature and were released after posting $1000 bond.
In a statement issued on behalf of his client, Raymer’s attorney Wade M. Smith said, “Mr. Raymer is very sorry for this lapse in judgement. He regrets deeply the pain he has caused his family, friends and fans. Mr. Raymer is grateful for the many expressions of support he has received.”
Raymer, who is 48 and married with one daughter, has served a visible role on the board of the PPA as it has worked to have poker distinguished as a game of skill and has lobbied for the game of online poker to be regulated, and taxed, by the federal government.
While he may be welcome to resume his position with the organization after he has cleared up this matter, there are many who see that as a very slim possibility. Raymer is scheduled to appear in court on April 18 to answer to the charges.
In a statement given to Pocket Fives, the PPA’s Executive Director, John Pappas, said of Raymer’s stepping down, “Earlier today, members of the Board of Directors of the Poker Players Alliance had a conversation with Board member Greg Raymer. Mr. Raymer requested, and the rest of the PPA Board accepted, that he be given a formal leave of absence as member of the PPA Board.”
Acknowledging that this incident has occurred at a time when poker is enjoying fairly high visibility as many states are looking closely at beginning to offer real money online poker games to residents, Pappas stated, “We are at a critical juncture in the fight for poker rights and we have to make sure side issues do not obscure focus from the main issue.”
The matter of Raymer’s unfortunate legal situation has generated a lot of chatter on poker forums and on Twitter, where many have come to his defense. Some folks have even gone so far as to suggest that many poker players have enjoyed the company of prostitutes, though a vocal majority agrees that it is a sad turn of events for a man who has long held a respected position in the poker community.
