Idaho Police Raid Senior Citizens Poker Game
Written by Matt W | Monday, March 1st, 2010
It seems that Idaho is willing to go to any length to protect its citizens – of any age – from the ‘evils’ of poker and gambling. It was recently reported that police raided a senior citizens center and demanded that residents refrain from holding their weekly poker games as the law forbids any from of gambling.
The Twin Falls Home saw around 20 seniors meeting each week to enjoy a few hours of Texas Hold ‘em. Each would put in $20 to play and the pot would then be split between the top chip holders. Each player donated up to $500 to the senior center each month.
The seniors were sure that because they were donating so much of the winnings to the center, their pastime was not considered illegal. However, the police had other news for them.
Idaho law states as illegal “risking any money, credit, deposit or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, the operation of casino gambling including, but not limited to, blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, baccarat or keno.”
As such, the seniors were in fact breaking the law, with the police stating that nothing in Idaho law permits gambling at any age.
The seniors were told that their weekly games had to end immediately, bringing to an end a five year tradition. The group is obviously upset, with many members saying that this is the highlight of their week. Many of them only discovered the joys of poker in their later years, when limited mobility led them to seek a game that exercised their minds without necessarily moving their bodies too much.
“I don’t have many things that I can do,” noted the wheelchair-bound Norman Pohl. “I met so many people… I would look forward to it every week.”
The group has already expressed its willingness to support a change in the law that would allow them to play for limited amounts of money at the center.
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· Written by Matt W · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
