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Gambling Convictions to be Appealed

March 3, 2009

With so many people now ruling poker a game of skill instead of chance, it is becoming harder and harder for courts to rule against those that are caught playing poker. It used to be that there wasn’t much of a question – poker playing was illegal because it was gambling and it was a game of chance. However, the Poker Players Alliance has been working to change the perception of the game, so that more people realize that poker is a game of skill not chance, and therefore should be legal.

However, in South Carolina things get a little dicey. A Mount Pleasant judge ruled that poker is a game of skill in the case against five men who were caught participating in a poker game. However, he found them guilty of gambling and they were each ordered to pay $262 in fines for the misdemeanor ticket.

The players are appealing the decision as they say that they have not broken any laws and the case is based on an outdated law. There is an 1802 state law that says that all games of chance with cards or dice is illegal. So this is where it gets sticky – the card game is considered illegal per the law, but it is not a game of chance.

The men were originally arrested for playing a poker game in their home. They said that they played poker casually among their friends, but the prosecutors said that they were playing poker for profit and that they were breaking the law. It makes you wonder if they don’t have any real criminals to go after that they are worried about some men playing poker in their garage.