Free Poker Illegal!!!!

For those of you that don’t know. I use to play a lot of Free Poker at a bar my buddy owned back in Colorado. Fun entertainment, cash prizes and gift certificates, plus a chance at a seat in the WSOP if you fallowed the Free Poker league that hosted the tournaments at my buddies bar.

So, last week I decided to see if I could find any bars that offered a free poker league like there was back home. Every bar that I called acted like they never heard of something like that!!! The owner of the Free Poker Tour back home started his tour because he enjoyed the game and also to earn an extra income. About 6 months later he quit his job and ran the league full time!!! Five years into it he now gives away a total of 10 seats to the WSOP worth $2,000 each, plus a lot of other cash and prizes!!! I figured, hey, hear is an open market for me to try something that I already know is successful!!!!

I called the owner of the Poker Tour back home to see what he did to get started and he gave me a few government agencies that I should look up and contact to make sure every thing was legal. Legal? It’s free poker!!! There is no money involved with the participants, they play for free. It’s like going to trivia night at the bar. You play for free and if you win, you win a prize!!! He told me that free poker is illegal in like 30 states and to check it out so I don’t waste money getting it started.

This morning I contacted my county offices and they told me that it was illegal. I told them I didn’t understand, it’s not gambling no one is risking or loosing anything. It is a promotion that a bar runs which is free to play and the contestant has a chance to win a prize!!! The lady in the office told me that there is an on going lawn suit in the State of New York to try and legalize free poker, but as of right now it’s illegal and if a bar ignores the law, they will be fined heavily and could lose their liquor license for an unspecified time!!!

I couldn’t believe it!!! Why does poker have such a bad rap? I can see why they wouldn’t want a cash game going on in a bar and all that. But if it’s free and the participants risk nothing, how can that be illegal?

Mind boggling!

Weird and difficult to understand maybe, but not unheard of.

I know here you need a state licence for certain types of giveaway competitions, even free entry ones. The thing that got me was in some states it made a difference whether the winner was completely random (drawn out of a hat or whatever) or whether there were some selection criteria (tell is un 20 words or less why you deserve to win). Random ones needed a state licence, selection criteria ones didn't.

The regulations about bar poker here are kinda odd too. A common thing seems to be offering "cash equivalent" prizes like department store gift vouchers instead of actual cash prizes. For some reason that seems to get a lot of games over the legality line.

There's a big difference between self-dealt and professionally dealt games too - I think there's some loophole where people might be allowed to play real money buy in games if they deal themselves, but if they're professionally dealt it becomes murky.

Thankfully pretty much all the dealing I'm doing these days is for corporate functions and stuff so I don't have to worry about it any more

TriggaLos said:

The lady in the office told me that there is an on going lawn suit in the State of New York to try and legalize free poker

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What do they have against the way we mow our grass? Poker players get no respect, I tell you!

It's probably because it won't be fair for the native american people who have lost a lot in the past the only thing that the government gives them back for the rape of their people is land that they took from the native americans and them being able to run casinos. If they had free poker anywhere it would take away from the casinos some how. I do agree it is stupid that free poker isnt allowed.

Can you link me to which states it's legal in and which it's not?

Poker and the United States have problem with our government,,, I live in Virginia,, I use Instant E-checks to deposit,,, but this was with online poker,, now its happening in bars... this is crazy..... people should have fun.... the PPA is trying to help us,,, sign up and support if you havent...

I think you should be able to deposit as much..... maybe they can work something out... they get rake money,,, the governement gets a small portion.. not sure

this is sad...they should give them out if they owe them to you this is unfair and you should complain

silverslugger33 said:

Can you link me to which states it's legal in and which it's not?

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I don't know of a list. I didn't realize free poker was illegal till today. Just google free poker leagues and your state. You should be able to find a site if it already exists in your state. I talked to a buddy of mine and found out it is illegal in Ohio too. I think it is soooo stupid!!!! It's not gambling, no one is paying out any money!!! All it is, is a bar promotion that you can win prizes in!!! It's just like any other bar promotion, except there are cards and chips!!!!!!! I don't understand how it is any different than a Karaoke contest!!!

TriggaLos said:

I don't understand how it is any different than a Karaoke contest!!!

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For some states, they have certain rules regarding contests. For instance, there is a text game that they advertise during Deal or No Deal in the US, where you text what case you think the $10,000 is in and someone wins. But people of certain states are not elligible to enter. Something like MN, SD, etc. So it is probably more along the lines of those rules and not specifically directed at poker itself. But you never know. The fact is that poker has had a very shady past and even though it has enjoyed popularity over the past 5 years, it is still looked down upon by some people.

I don't understand how it is any different than a Karaoke contest!!!

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In some poker bars, poker players fight each other with hands( then they are drunk ) because some1 lost for some unlikeable person. In karaoke contest u wont see this.