Poker Night....Think Again!
Hey Guys! I wrote this recently for our newspaper. Let me know what you think. I have made a poll for this article, so please read below and make your vote. Government seems to be able to control everything these days. Just last month tanning was banned in the state of California for everyone under the age of 21, just another example of whats to come.... A gambling craze with ?Texas hold?em? is sweeping the nation, making household names out of professional gamblers like Sam Farha and Chris Moneymaker. However, the flip side is that the consequences of illegal gambling are starting to be perceived as nothing more than tales of fantasy.
?Hold?em? is a poker game that has become popular due in large part to the airing of the World Series of Poker on ESPN. In the game, each player is dealt two cards face-down, followed by a round of betting. After the betting has finished, three cards ? known as the ?flop? ? are turned face-up on the table. Again, a round of betting occurs. A fourth card, called the ?turn?, is then dealt face-up, and after another round of betting the final card, called the ?river?, is revealed.Players then make the best possible five-card hand using their down cards ? also called ?hole cards? ? and the five community cards. After a final round of betting, players reveal their hands to determine the winner.
The popularity of the game has sparked interest in many students, and while not everyone plays the same variation of the game, poker nights are quickly becoming commonplace activities on college campuses.
David Gardner, a junior business management major, said that he plays poker for fun at least once a week.
?Usually we play during the week,? he said. ?It?s not a serious source of income.?
When he plays, Gardner said he usually pays a $5-dollar buy-in. What he and others like him should keep in mind when they play these friendly games is that, with a few exceptions, gambling for money is illegal in ohio.
According to the state law, any operator of an illegal gambling enterprise can be found guilty of a class six felony, punishable by fines of up to $20,000 and up to 10 years in jail. The law defines a gambling enterprise as any person or organization that conducts an illegal gambling enterprise ? a gambling establishment that meets on a regular basis and receives a cut of the money that goes into the game.
So what does that mean to the average college poker player? Since this weekend is an off-week for the football team, many students may be thinking this is the ideal time to hold their first poker night of the new semester, but if they do, are those students technically breaking the law?
One exception to the law could mean the answer is no. That exception says that games of chance played in private residences are legal as long as those residences are not commonly used for such games and the individuals holding the games are not receiving money in exchange for the opportunity to play.
However, Attorney John Robertson warned students that a dorm room, while technically a private residence, still might not be a legal place to hold a friendly game of poker.
?The dorms are private residences, but it?s like any other rental property,? he said. ?I don?t necessarily think that people getting together into a dorm room will fit into that (exception) ? it is private, it is a residence, but that does not necessarily, under the definition of the code, make it a private residence.?
Robertson said there is a contract that governs the activity conducted inside residence halls and that contract could include a clause that can result in the eviction of students who participate in illegal activities.
Crazy!
