Legalities of starting a Holdem tournament at a Pennsylvania Bar.

[tripp0807]

[ QUOTE ]
My understanding of the law is that if the house doesn't make any kind of profit whatsoever, then it should be ok. But listen to Tripp0807, he is smarter than I am.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ridiculously smarter. I moved all-in with pocket 9's and you got lucky on the river when the ace fell. Jerk.

[Jezebel]

You need to get on the phone and call your state's Alcohol Law Enforcement Divixion for a definitive answer.

A couple buddies and I had the idea to start up a business doing this in our state. Called ALE and they said not just no, but HELL NO. It didn't matter whether the games where free or anything. Card playing in the bar could cause the bar owner to lose his license.

About 6 months latter a company came along and did exactly what we had planned. How they have gotten away with it or talked the bar owners into it, I have no idea.

The bottom line is if you are doing this for your boss don't take anyones word on this forum. Find out from the proper authorities.

[highlife]

ALOT of bars in PA now have holdem tournaments. Although most are freerolls with crappy little prizes for the top few finishers. I think this is the best way to go in your case. Don't let any money change hands and you will be golden.

[Bremen]

One of the local bars advertises "Free" hold'em tournaments on the radio. Not sure what the prizes are (although I seem to remember them once advertising an entry into an event in AC). Be careful, my roomate once got out a deck of cards to play solitaire in a dinner and they made her put them away because they could lose their liquor license of gambling apparatus were being used.

[NYCNative]

Remember that what is legal in a Pennsylvania home might not be legal in a Pennsylvania bar. In Ohio, a non-raked home game is perfectly legal. The same game in a bar - even non-raked - breaks laws regarding gambling in an establishment with a liquor license.

Caveat: PA probably has different laws than OH and IANAL.

[NYCNative]

[ QUOTE ]
my roomate once got out a deck of cards to play solitaire in a diner and they made her put them away because they could lose their liquor license of gambling apparatus were being used.

[/ QUOTE ]That's insane. People bet on chess all the time - does that mean they'd stop two kids playing chess?

[Bremen]

Probably. Always funny when a hotel hosting a big chess tournament tries to stop people from playing chess :0)

[Bulldog]

Local (PA) bar already doing something similar

[CCx]

gu014,

these guys --> http://j2d2.fishcrime.org/

have been doing poker nights at bars and restaurants quite often in the philadelphia suburbs for over a year now, maybe you should speak with them a bit to see what they have and haven't encountered in terms of legality

hope this helps

[gregdillon]

I don't know if it's the same in PA as it is in OH, but even if you hold a game and take no rake, but sell pop, you are breaking the law because you are profiting from the "gambling."

I have always wondered this, and mabey someone much smarter than me would know the answer. If you were to open a poker room in Ohio and charge nothing for entrance, sell nothing in the room, and take no rake could you ask for a donation? Just a box at the door that says "Did you have fun? DONATE!" Would you be breaking the law? You're not charging. It would be like the PBS radio station of poker rooms. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]