"That Poker Dude"
Saw an article in the Toronto Sun today about the legality of poker in Canada (online or otherwise). Check it out:
That Poker Dude - May 28 | Poker | Sports | Toronto Sun
That Poker Dude - May 28 | Poker | Sports | Toronto Sun
Comments
so stay away from the rake and it's all good
And the author ruined his credibility with the statement "Of course, they have hundreds of millions of reasons too, for wanting online poker to be illegal."
Really? Hundreds of millions? Care to just name 1 hundred million??
How about just 10?
If you make up numbers in an attempt to make your case, you just end up looking foolish.
So why not say "1 reason for wanting online poker to be illegal, the almight dollar". That screams evil empire, and is way more impactful than implying something.
So, after you mis-read the authors intent, now your criticism is with the style?
I, for one, thought it was perfectly informative, with an extremely high level advised legal opinion.
But, then I'm biased. I wrote it.
Thanks for the support. I love poker, and promoting and advancing poker in Canada is a passion of mine....
what we need is some rich dude to open Toronto's first legal poker club which is rake free! lets see the cops try to close that down. I guess the problem would be finding dealers that would work for free as I would think tipping might put you off side.
you should think about writing an article/filming a documentary on the underground poker world in Toronto; would make a great show!
Lol...
Just thought there was so much more you could have done with the amount of space you were given.
As an example, you don't mention that while a home game with no rake is legal, a home game where you pay a rake or a rake is taken to pay for sundries IS illegal.
You also don't make any mention of bar leagues, free-roll events, charity events or any of the other 'gotchas' where people are unsure.
You don't mention about underground clubs, or even casinos.
Just saying..
I'll spare you my thoughts about your writing style, or context as you haven't asked for it.
I appreciate the legal advice sought and provided but all this article is saying "Online poker is ok, home games are OK" that's it, not really enough content there for a cocktail napkin let alone an article in a Major Toronto newspaper.
Will check out your other articles, who knows, maybe it's me
The problem is, just laying off rake doesn't make it legal. According to Lipton, the primary purpose cannot be for the business of poker. And it can't be a regular occurrence. Occasional, and not for business are keys to avoiding the 'Common gaming house' law. Just not charging rake isn't going to save you. And, in my many meetings with the AGCO, they are planning on bringing more enforcement personnel into this, and pushing the law a little harder..
Well from an enforcement standpoint, they are doing a terrible job. They shut down a couple clubs last summer, mostly the smaller 1/2 games, and they were basically reopened by the following week (some in the same location).
There are huge games running in the GTA (10/20+), seven days a week, that never get touched. My understanding is that poker is secondary in these busts and they are really trying to find other illegal activity (drugs, guns, etc.). What they do is scan the licence plates of the players a couple weeks in a row. If its mainly business owners, doctors, etc., they don't bother with the club. If it is mainly a younger crowd (non-professional), then it has a chance of being busted. They will never shut down underground poker in Ontario if the person running the club only has to pay a fine that typically equals a couple nights of rake, and the found-in usually get off for a couple hundred dollar donation to a local charity. Not that I want more clubs to get raided, but there's really no disadvantage these days to playing at an underground club.
If they can regulate and licence BINGO in Ontario, why not poker?
Agreed, but what will we set the buy-in at?
Oh come on. Tell me you all weren't thinking the same thing . . .
I disagree. He understands the real scene very well. But, keep in mind... he's being interviewed for a news story. He really would be doing a huge disservice to the poker community if he said 'there are hundreds of illegal underground games running in the GTA, but the laws aren't being enforced at this point'. That's asking for trouble.
And, as an attorney, he is being asked for his professional interpretation of the laws. Which is exactly what he gave. Not his opinion. His opinion really doesn't matter.
As far as charity tournaments, we went into that in depth, and I'm saving it for another column. The bottom line is, you want to run a charity tournament? Hold a dinner, sell tickets to the dinner, and give away the poker tournament. That's the only effective way to do it legally. You must provide free entry for anyone who asks for it based on availability. If you CHARGE for the tournament, it's illegal, regardless of money being donated to charity. Therefore, 99% of charity tournaments are illegal.