Poker Problems

Poker is a game of chance for some and skill for others. Either way, Texas Hold 'em tournaments have been thriving in South Dakota for years. But they have to stop. South Dakota law says poker games are illegal because they are games of chance, not skill. The South Dakota Lottery sent a letter to places with video lottery licenses saying: "Any lottery establishment that holds these illegal games...is placing their lottery license in jeopardy." The letter also states that they will revoke a bar's lottery license if they continue to run poker games - and may even impose a ten-thousand dollar fine.

Many bar owners are not happy with the news, especially since most don't make money off the tournaments. Some say the games don't hurt video lottery, but actually help it. Terry Narum, who runs the Pocket Bar in Sioux Falls, is one who is displeased, "I'm not happy with it. I think it's just a threat." The Pocket holds poker tournaments and has video lottery. Terry continues, "It's kind of scary. I don't think I'm running any illegal games. Nobody that I know of has ever been cited for it, and I certainly don't think they're detrimental to the video lottery industry."

For the past three months, the Pocket has been holding poker tournaments two nights a week, but since the Lottery sent the threatening letter, things have changed and the poker tables were taken down. South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long points out, "Gambling is and has been illegal as a general proposition for many many years." The South Dakota Lottery can't license places that are breaking the law, so it's not the lottery shutting them down - it's state law. Long cautions owners, "If you have a video lottery license, you probably ought to be careful what sorts of games you allow to be conducted on your premises."

Narum doesn't think his tournaments are illegal because there is an entry fee, and those who lose are out - like any other tournament. Even though he's shutting down his poker tables for now, Narum believes people won't stop all together, "Poker, Texas Hold em' in a tournament-style is so popular that people are going to continue to play, it's just a matter of where. They're going to be in the garages, people's basements, places that don't have lottery licenses, so we're taking people away from the lottery machines is what we're doing." He adds that canceling his tournaments will cost him thousands of dollars. He plans to get some people together to try to fight the law prohibiting the tournaments. He says a court will have to decide if these types of tournaments are illegal.

Source: KSFY.com