Poker Forum

What this business is doing is not illegal! The social gambling law states that Arizona citizens may engage in poker games between each other for money. It is Law! What these card rooms do is provide a safe and secure environment for lawful citizens to come and engage in the lawful social gambling of playing poker. The establishment is only renting the equipment to the players for their enjoyment. They do not profit from the gambling that takes place on the table like the casinos do by raking a fee from the players' prize pool... which under state law is illegal. They act as a rental business. They are no different than a pool hall that rents pool tables or a bowling alley that rents lanes and equipment to players that may or may not gamble at the sport they love. Get the point people!!! Stop the government from taking away our freedoms in this country! Stop allowing them to state how we spend our hard earned money. Next thing you know, they will be telling us how to spend our tax payer's money to bail out fraudulent CEO's and Executives that have run businesses into the ground. Maybe they will tell us that they are giving our tax payers money to these same guys so that they can allow them to continue their million dollar lifestyles….. I guess that is already happening. Stand up for your rights and freedoms!!! What the police did is illegal! They raided a lawful business and stole their equipment. Charges should be brought against the police department and all agencies that took part in this illegal raid.

Sincerely,

An American Tax Payer!

Although i agree about our rights and all that, you had to see that it wouldn't work. The state doesn't allow people to sneak through loopholes in the letter of the law. The spirit of the law seems clear.

Around here people the game is legal. But you aren't allowed to make any money off the game in any form. e.g. the state boys came to a rather large tourney for charity that was in a local hotel's activity room. it was moved to a neutral site b/c the hotel and attached restaraunt were profiting off the people who came to play.

You can't pay dealers, sell hotdogs, rent chips, collect membership fees for card clubs, anything like that. poker is ok unless someone is making $$ off the game. it sounds like the laws are the same.

It was pretty niaive to think the state would allow it.

Same way in Florida. If no one makes money off the game like rakes, fees, etc. and it is "penny ante", then it is legal.

What the state isn't realizing is that there are a ton of "underground" card rooms. I have heard many people say that these places are becoming targets for criminals and getting robbed.

So, why not making it where you can regulate and most importantly TAX it and have a much safer and more competitive environment? (that was rhetorical since I think we all here agree it should be that way)