Poker Superstars
Phil Hellmuth
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Strange Poker Law Effect In Arkansas |
We all know that raked poker games take a beating in most state's legality department, with charges up to felony being handed down to those running the game, and misdeanors for players, but in Arkansas, a truly bizarre twist of law interpretation has owners of local establishments where FREE poker is being played are also under the gun.
A new business by the name of the Poker Challenge opened its doors in Little Rock Arkansas under the premise that they would offer free poker tournaments for their patrons. There would be no fee for entry, and cash prizes would be offered in the tournaments. No betting would be allowed.
The one catch is that a player could pay the house to track their win statistics for a small fee. The players who did opt to have their statistics tracked would be given priority seating in the tournaments. However, this option was by no means mandatory. Anyone could play the game for free and still be eligible for the cash prize.
Earlier last week, the club was raided and four of the people operating the game now face felony charges for running a gambling house.
Tom Carpenter, the attorney for Little Rock, had advised the Poker Challenge that their premise would likely not pass state law, but they opened the club regardless, not seeing how they could be charged with such crimes. Carpenter's logic on the issue is that poker games are illegal in Arkansas under any condition that a player puts up money for a chance to win anything of value. Even indirect methods of payment, such as inflated prices for drinks or food, as well as annual membership fees, could fall under the umbrella. As long as the contestants are in no way offering their own money to play, the poker game can still be considered legal.
I'm not sure about this one. It does seem that Poker Challenge was trying to push the envelope by offering the stat trackers publicly in an anti-gambling state. However, with its non-mandatory status, I'm not sure how it can be considered a real gamble. The gray line between what is and is not gambling will continue to be pushed, it seems, until some kind of innovation in lawmaking allows those who want to use their money as they see fit are allowed to do so. |
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