Ex-FBI director joins coalition pushing for online poker

By Liz Benston

Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 | 10:28 a.m.

Former FBI director Louis Freeh has joined Fair Play USA, a coalition backed by Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International that is pushing for Congress to adopt federal regulations allowing online poker.

The group, which also includes former Department of Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge and Internet safety advocate and attorney Parry Aftab, also seeks a clearer definition of illegal gambling, saying it would allow law enforcement to more effectively crack down on black market websites and other illegal operators.

Fair Play held a media event today on Capitol Hill to discuss its goals, which include educating "policymakers and the public about the current ambiguous laws in the U.S. that have led to a $6 billion a year illegal gambling market led by rogue offshore operators."

Freeh served as FBI director from 1993 to 2001 and was involved in several major investigations during his tenure at the agency, including prosecuting a drug trafficking case in the 1980s involving organized crime.

He has since become a corporate consultant who has served on multiple boards of directors. He founded the Delaware-based risk management company Freeh Group International Solutions in 2007.

Years after resigning from his FBI post, Freeh criticized the 9/11 Commission that investigated the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, saying the U.S. government previously knew the identity of the bomber who piloted the plane into one of the Twin Towers.