[Midnight Rose]

[I must've missed something; what, besides the game having been held in a "former business building", makes this "commercial gambling"?]

-From pokerlistings.com:

Four arrested in Georgia poker bust

12:37 PM, Wednesday, April 26, 2006
by Lianne Elias

Four men were arrested for playing in a private poker game and taking cash payouts when the game was raided by agents of the Gainesville-Hall county Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad last week, it was reported yesterday by the Gainesville Times. The Hall County, Georgia, game was discovered after authorities received a tip that competitors were being awarded payouts during the twice-weekly, private poker nights.

"The doors were locked and if you weren't a regular, you weren't getting in," said Lt. Scott Ware of the Narcotics Squad.

Ware said Dan Taylor, 58, was charged with commercial gambling and gambling on Friday after agents searched the former business building where the poker games were hosted. Ware said Taylor is the owner of the building.

The three other men arrested were Jeffery Scott Collins, 41, Willard Eugene Talley, 59, and Henry Walker McDougald, 67. Each of them was charged with gambling, and each have been released on $1,100 bonds.

Reports indicate that Taylor posted a $6,200 bail.

Georgia law considers commercial gambling a felony. Offenders face 1-5 years in prison or a fine of up to $20,000. Gambling is a misdemeanor under state law.

"There's probably a lot of people doing it, but it's illegal to gamble and bet cash money," said Ware.

[DrBullMoose]

Originally Posted by 4aces

[I must've missed something; what, besides the game having been held in a "former business building", makes this "commercial gambling"?]

"There's probably a lot of people doing it, but it's illegal to gamble and bet cash money," said Ware.

They need to get some Pharoahs Chips!

[rolandshoffinc]

If they gave away braclets everyone would be fine.
They should have invited the cops to play, that's why they got busted!
Remember crime doesn't pay.(unless your realy good)
I didn't mean that.......

I never play poker at a private game on Thursday nights and the buy in is not $75 and the pay out are not $1,100 for first place.

[Midnight Rose]

Originally Posted by DrBullMoose

They need to get some Pharoahs Chips!

No wonder I missed it; it didn't make any earthly sense.

Still doesn't, but since when did any attempts to legislate morality, make sense?

[milesotool]

The funny thing is in most states you can go to the local casino and pay a rake and do it legally. So the issue is that the state and a corporate interest sare not making money. The old adage Render onto Ceasar what is Ceasars is at play here. In my area the local casino takes a 6 dollar per half hour rake from each player at the Nl 1-2 games they have. There is usually a waiting list to be seated with about five tables going. thats 124 per table x 5 = 620 per hour over a 24 hour period thay chance to rake 14880. The state gets it's share and the house its share. incidentially not even risking one red cent of there own money. So any interfearence of any significance would be delt with harshly. BTW I live in the Detroit area.

[Hopin2Steal]

Originally Posted by 4aces

[I must've missed something; what, besides the game having been held in a "former business building", makes this "commercial gambling"?]

The story doesn't specify Georgia's laws. I'd have to suspect that there was some form of rake to qualify this as commercial gambling. Make note of this as some states allow home games so long as there is no rake of any form.

-JC-

[Colquhoun]

Originally Posted by 4aces

"There's probably a lot of people doing it, but it's illegal to gamble and bet cash money," said Ware.

I don't know Georgia's gaming laws, but this last sentence leads me to believe that it is illegal to play any gambling game with a money wager.