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what about a live tournament with no cash prizes?

ASMASM
in General Poker Chat
Would that be legal? What if all prizes awarded in a tournament were in the form of gifts/gift certificates etc.

Comments

  • m_dolensm_dolens
    ASM wrote: »
    Would that be legal? What if all prizes awarded in a tournament were in the form of gifts/gift certificates etc.

    yes. it's called the red hot poker tour.
  • ASMASM
    but do people pay to play in those events?
  • ASMASM
    in a nutshell, looking at trying to hold a tournament with a $30-40 buyin and have prizes that are equal to or greater than the amount of the buyins.

    example: 45 people @ $40 = $1800, but would give away product prizes that have at least a value of that.
  • g2g2
    ASM wrote: »
    Would that be legal? What if all prizes awarded in a tournament were in the form of gifts/gift certificates etc.
    It's legal (AFAIK) if the buyin is $0.

    If the buyin is > $0 then it's illegal no matter what the prizes are.

    /g2
  • HobbesHobbes
    I am assuming that the prizes in this case would be either donated or purchased at a discount to their value.

    I think this would be illegal (I'm no lawyer) in the sense that someone is making $ of this tourney, either the tourney hosts or the biz's that provide the prizes.

    Dam g2 beat me to it :D
  • ASMASM
    ok, let's take this further...

    You pay $40 to attend a session with a guest speaker on a certain topic. The guest speaker is on from 11am-noon. The tournament is free.
  • blackmagiczblackmagicz
    The key with this would be to account for all the money at the end of the day. I looked into this. You could run a 'not for profit' charity, where as you need to pay people to run the event. Obviously partial proceeds would have to goto a charity and also prizes given out to winners, but if you as the organizer paid yourself a consultant fee you might get away with it.

    But the whole charity thingy is the problem. Its a nice thought though. My original plan 3 years ago was to hold an event at the Roger's Center 2 day event with 500-1000 people with a 100-200 buy in.

    Needless to say after further discussion and thinking it would not fly..mostly for legal reasons.
  • BlondeFishBlondeFish
    Unfortunately, poker is currently being treated as evil as organized crime in terms of both law interpretation and resource-allocation enforcement. Once the authorities have found out about an illegal poker game, there seems to be a six-month long investigation then dozens of police armed in full anti-terrorist gear will break down your door and take you away in handcuffs. :rolleyes:

    Many entrepreneurs have tried to find loopholes, but ANY kind of fee or indirect profit makes it illegal from the authorities' point of view. Even if a rake-free game is being held at any place where refreshments are being sold or the host asks for a donation can be considered illegal. :'( So the only legal ways I know to host a money poker game is to get approved for an expensive lottery license, or have a rake-free BYOB/F home game such as those hosted by Zithal, g2 and The_Game.

    Read http://www.agco.on.ca/pdf/Non-Forms/LL2006_Vol_6_Issue_1e.pdf & http://www.canadianpoker.com/PLogs/plogApril25.htm
    ASM wrote: »
    You pay $40 to attend a session with a guest speaker on a certain topic.
  • HobbesHobbes
    ASM wrote: »
    ok, let's take this further...

    You pay $40 to attend a session with a guest speaker on a certain topic. The guest speaker is on from 11am-noon. The tournament is free.

    That one you might be able to get away with. Just be prepared to defend yourself if the authorities think your guest speaker is just a front for the tournment.

    i.e. Having g2 as a guest speaker probably won't fly. :D
    (appologies to g2 for using him in my example)
  • g2g2
    Hobbes wrote: »
    That one you might be able to get away with. Just be prepared to defend yourself if the authorities think your guest speaker is just a front for the tournment.

    i.e. Having g2 as a guest speaker probably won't fly. :D
    (appologies to g2 for using him in my example)
    It's all good... I'd only be offended if you called me G2 instead of g2 :)

    /g2
  • m_dolensm_dolens
    ASM wrote: »
    but do people pay to play in those events?

    no they don't.
  • BumbaclatBumbaclat
    ASM wrote: »
    ok, let's take this further...

    You pay $40 to attend a session with a guest speaker on a certain topic. The guest speaker is on from 11am-noon. The tournament is free.

    Getting cute with the law will only lead to trouble.
  • Omaha_EdOmaha_Ed
    Just have your tournament anywhere you want where nobody is benefitting from any part of the tournament except the prize money and the cops can't do a thing. If you have it in a large private home with no rake or charges of any kind, you can invite the police, OPP and RCMP to play if you like.

    If you use a hall or club, there can be no benefit from increased business etc and they still can't do anything. the law is written just that way.

    Good luck. PS, it is a lot better for the player and easier to win in the long run if there is no rake also.
  • BlondeFishBlondeFish
    Believe it or not, the authorities are also trying to shut down the free bar tournaments! :eek: The information I have gotten is that Boston Pizza and other major restaurant chains have been contacted that their free poker tournaments are illegal under the Criminal Code, and they have been threatened with losing their liquor license! The poker tour companies running these freerolls have also been warned.

    I have read the applicable Part VII of the Criminal Code of Canada. While a cash game or tournament being held in a bar makes it an illegal "common gaming house", there is no money being bet at these freerolls. For those that have never played any of these bar tournaments, you can play a game without a single cent in your pocket and you do not win any money even if you win the tournament. How can the police charge anybody with illegal gambling if there is NO GAMBLING going on?? ???

    If a bar can lose its license for having a free poker tournament, what's next - losing its license for having a darts tournament, pool tournament, or if a couple of customers play with a deck of cards?? The players in these tournaments just love playing poker for fun or socializing but their gambling-free poker may soon become unavailable. In order to play poker, many of these players will end up gambling in illegal games.
    m_dolens wrote: »
    no they don't.
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