State police want to put Texas Hold 'Em poker games on hold until the Legislature makes it legal for cash-starved charities to hold them.
State troopers at Troop D in Butler County -- covering Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties -- are warning charities that holding such tournaments are illegal. Organizers risk five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Bingo, raffles and other small games of chance are allowed for fund-raising. But games of chance when sponsors get a piece of the action are prohibited. The state considers poker a game of chance -- not skill.
The Texas Hold 'Em poker events airing on cable TV clearly suggest it is much more skill than chance.
State troopers are in a no-win situation: There are so many gambling loopholes that any enforcement highlights the inconsistencies. Some card games are permitted but not others.
Running a Texas Hold 'Em tournament is illegal, but running a horse-race track, and off-track betting, is acceptable. As is using gambling proceeds from soon-to-come slot machines to subsidize those tracks.
The state even encourages gambling on a game of chance that offers virtually no chance of winning -- the Pennsylvania Lottery.
Here's the bottom line: The law cannot play favorites. It should be an all-or-nothing proposition. Either every adult should be allowed to gamble -- or no one should be allowed to gamble.
pittsburghlive.com
State troopers at Troop D in Butler County -- covering Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties -- are warning charities that holding such tournaments are illegal. Organizers risk five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Bingo, raffles and other small games of chance are allowed for fund-raising. But games of chance when sponsors get a piece of the action are prohibited. The state considers poker a game of chance -- not skill.
The Texas Hold 'Em poker events airing on cable TV clearly suggest it is much more skill than chance.
State troopers are in a no-win situation: There are so many gambling loopholes that any enforcement highlights the inconsistencies. Some card games are permitted but not others.
Running a Texas Hold 'Em tournament is illegal, but running a horse-race track, and off-track betting, is acceptable. As is using gambling proceeds from soon-to-come slot machines to subsidize those tracks.
The state even encourages gambling on a game of chance that offers virtually no chance of winning -- the Pennsylvania Lottery.
Here's the bottom line: The law cannot play favorites. It should be an all-or-nothing proposition. Either every adult should be allowed to gamble -- or no one should be allowed to gamble.
pittsburghlive.com
