AUS Poker Ban, Legalizing Charity Poker
Written by RogerCP | Friday, March 20th, 2009
Before I dive into legal poker for charity I wanted to talk about the Australian online poker situation. In a strange attempt by AUS government they are seeking to block a few of the major AUS poker sites that serve players around the world. This includes the likes of Full Tilt, Poker Stars and others. We will be keeping track of the situation on that page.
While it is not the full Monty, legalizing friendly poker games and certain games organized for charity is definitely a welcome first step. This is what the President Pro Tem of the Senate of the state of South Carolina, Glenn McConnell, is trying to do. It is believed that this change of mindset has its genesis in the much publicized court case in which five players at a home game refused to pay the paltry fines but fight the charges in court. Though the judge held them guilty because a rake was being taken to pay for the drinks, he held that Texas Hold’em poker is a game of skill.
In order for McConnell to implement these steps, the current laws of South Carolina will need to be changed. Under current laws playing card games even among friends is illegal. Also not for profit organizations like churches cannot hold charity poker games in order to raise money for charity. Therefore McConnell has introduced two new bills in the General Assembly. The first bill seeks to amend the existing laws to permit friendly poker games. The second bill calls for a constitutional amendment permitting churches and charities to hold raffles. These two forms of “social” poker are being clearly differentiated from professional poker. In order for poker to be defined as a friendly game or as a charity event there has to be an absence of house players, house bank, house odds and house income. The bills specifically ban slot machines, electronic video-gaming machines and wagering tied to live sports events. McConnell giving an interview to Post and Courier on this issue, said, “I think we need to make sure people on a grass-roots basis understand what it does and doesn’t do.”
McConnell is keen to push this matter ahead without wasting any time. Hence he has scheduled the hearings this month itself. The first hearing will be held on the 23rd of March in North Charleston City Hall and the second one will be held on the 30th of March in Greenville County Council Chambers. The hearings will be open to the public. Those desiring to speak before the senators will have to sign in. Comments from the public are also likely to be taken. The Democratic Party Senator Robert Ford from Charleston will lead the hearings.
Senator McConnell is hopeful of getting these bills passed. He said, “I believe we can build a base of support across South Carolina that will make this General Assembly move.” Senator Robert Ford said, “It is important that the state straighten up its antiquated gaming laws, some of which date back to the 1800s.”
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· Written by RogerCP · Filed Under Poker Gossip · Comments Off
