Another Club Bites The Dust
Vancouver Island Poker Masters was investigated by the BC Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch, and while we were found to be operating within the criminal code (I had done much research to ensure this), the BC Government has taken the position that the rental Hall is profiting indirectly from gambling through the rental fee we pay them, and therefore are operating a gaming house which is in violation of the criminal code. While this is a huge stretch for the government to make (especially since the fees come from club membership and not gaming proceeds), there is a lot of vagueness around the criminal code in this area, (this same issue has been contested and won in Ontario), and until it is contested in BC the government will continue to hold this position. Unfortunately we can’t expect the rental hall to go to court for us, so our Tournaments have come to an abrupt end. The Enforcement Branch representative encouraged us to keep trying to find a way to make this work (and would welcome a court hearing so they could obtain a clear ruling around this), but unless we can find a location free of rent, or a location owner willing to challenge the government in court, I can’t see any way to carry on the poker league (until someone challenges the issue in court).
We still have the option of playing our on-line games (unfortunately this supports the offshore gaming industry, not Vancouver Island's economy).
We still have the option of playing our on-line games (unfortunately this supports the offshore gaming industry, not Vancouver Island's economy).
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