Most people start playing poker in home games with friends. However, whether those games fall within the strict boundaries of gambling laws varies by state.
A North Carolina legislator filed a bill to protect poker players in his state from law enforcement when they get together to play cards.
Rep. David Willis introduced HB424 in March, and the House Judiciary Committee passed it on Tuesday. The bill would explicitly make it legal for players to gather informally for various games “where any money, property, or other thing of value is bet, if the games are played in a private residence, home, or community clubhouse or similar structure.”
Anti-Gambling HOA Spurs Bill
Willis said the law was needed after a constituent disagreement with a homeowners’ association. The bill spells out several caveats, including that no mechanical or electronic betting devices, such as slot machines, can be on the premises, and no rake is allowed, just personal winnings for all players.
Willis said government or homeowners associations shouldn’t have a say on the friendly games residents engage in with friends and family.
“Nobody’s betting the farm,” he said during the committee hearing. “Nobody’s losing a mortgage. Folks have been getting together and doing this long before any of us were alive and they’ll continue long after we’re gone.”
The Judiciary Committee approved the bill in a 7-3 vote. The bill heads to the House Rules Committee next.
Opponents Have Expanded Gambling Concerns
Some members, however, expressed concerns about potential unintended consequences they believed the bill could usher in, including poker clubs as found in Texas.
Some also expressed that the bill isn’t necessarily needed as no one has been arrested playing in these types of home games.
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do and I understand it’s crazy that you can’t play poker and exchange dollar bills or whatever the stakes are in your house or in your clubhouse,” Rep. Pricey Harrison said. “But at the same time, I do have concerns … about how this is being interpreted and potentially expanded to something that you all aren’t intending.”
Willis said he was open to altering the bill to ensure no loopholes might allow for a broader interpretation of expanded gaming. Thus, it doesn’t appear North Carolina lawmakers have the appetite to legalize online poker anytime soon.
In other North Carolina poker news, the state was the site of a bizarre incident at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Cherokee Casino. A player flipped over three tables, sending chips flying across the floor.
