For the past few months, Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas has been running up the frequent flyer mileage over online gaming. With federal internet poker legalization prospects seemingly at a standstill, Pappas focused efforts of the 1.2 million-member lobbying organization on various individual state legislative activities.

Debate over Internet gaming and online poker surfaced this year in California, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Pappas is spending part of the weekend at the World Series of Poker in the organization’s booth inside the Rio’s Convention Center. He plans to discuss the various online gaming legalization efforts with the tournament’s attendees.

“We cut our lobbying spend in D.C. pretty dramatically,” Pappas said Friday. “There is no reason to spend a lot of money when the outcome is uncertain.” But now, online gaming talk on Capitol Hill is once again heating up. At least two pieces of Internet gaming legislation could be find their way to the floors of Congress before the July Fourth recess.

Pappas, while hopeful there will be discussions, isn’t optimistic about the outcome. “Congress has a lot of challenges, and having this issue rise to the top of things they tackle in the next 18 months is hard to believe,” Pappas said.

Rep. Peter King, R-NY, submitted legislation earlier this month that would legalize all forms of Internet wagering by establishing a federal licensing and regulatory system. Meanwhile, Pappas said Rep. Joe Barton,. R-Texas, is expected to introduce online gaming and poker legislation — similar to a bill he sponsored in 2012 — by next week. Read more when you visit the GPWA website.