Need help on legal issues regarding home poker?

Bulletace

Hi, Wondering if anyone would know that if it's legal to held poker games(real money) at home. me and some friends likes to held regular weekend poker game in our area, but not familiar about the legal issue. Or do you have to open some kind of club to legalize that. We really likes to play some pokers, but casinos are too far or out of quesiton for some of us, please give me some advice, thanks.

zero

As long as you collect no fee, all food and drinks are free, and you don't advertise it to the public its legal.

MickeyHoldem

Don't take a rake.... don't charge for anything.... just get together and play, have everyone bring their own munchies, etc..... you'll be fine (no pun intended).... You run into legal problems when you try and profit (gain) from running a game.... if it's just you and your friends... don't sweat it!

(--- insert standard disclaimer here ---)

Note: don't try and advertise multi-location, multi-day, large buy-in (relatively) tourneys on this forum.... we are being watched.... I can feel it!!!

Zithal

MickeyHoldem wrote:

Note: don't try and advertise multi-location, multi-day, large buy-in (relatively) tourneys on this forum.... we are being watched.... I can feel it!!!

Who'd be dumb enough to do something like that?? They probably also created their own website.... idiots.

beanie42

Zithal wrote:

Who'd be dumb enough to do something like that?? They probably also created their own website.... idiots.

The "idiot" classification has been significantly abused and is now considered derogatory.  Please be kind to yourself and use the more PC term "Profound Mental Retardation".

JohnnieH

LMFAO Guys!!!!!!!!
Well done.

JohnnieH

beanie42

Actually, to try to be somewhat helpful, check out the following threads:

http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=4785.0
http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=3962.0
http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=3424.0
http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=4614.0
http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=3109.0

Bottom line, so far everything is pretty much opinion and interpretation. We've all been told different things when contacting the various agencies, so it doesn't really seem to me like they (meaning the OPP/AGCO) acually know what's legal on the "home game" front. In general (and noting that I'm not a lawyer) what you're describing sounds fine to me.

Bulletace

Thanks for the advice guys, but jsut to clarify some of the point, so I can play real money game, as long as i dont' advertise them, and dont' charge rake or even food/drink?  Does that mean if i want to have regular game, it's must be past through word of mouth istead of like website forum?

ScottyZ

Need help on legal issues regarding home poker?

Dang. I thought this meant that you were offering some advice...

Don't worry, there are only 4 distinct types of posts here, so you've basically got a 1 in 4 shot in randomly hitting.

1. Poker, the law, and you.
2. Do I have to pay taxes on all of the poker winnings I've been bragging about on the forum?
3. Bad beat stories disguised as hand analysis posts.
4. Updates that Jeff Campbell is still alive in the WSOP 2005.

Serious part of the post: Try a forum search for keywords "law", "legal", "illegal" or "Criminal Code".

Or go here:

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-46/42557.html

ScottyZ

ScottyZ

Does that mean if i want to have regular game, it's must be past through word of mouth istead of like website forum?

This idea does not suffer from PMR.

ScottyZ

beanie42

Is getting busted that bad? I hear they play for smokes in the pen (just don't ask about "Queens" and a bad beat ) !

beanie42

ScottyZ wrote:

Don't worry, there are only 4 distinct types of posts here, so you've basically got a 1 in 4 shot in randomly hitting.

1. Poker, the law, and you.
2. Do I have to pay taxes on all of the poker winnings I've been bragging about on the forum?
3. Bad beat stories disguised as hand analysis posts.
4. Updates that Jeff Campbell is still alive in the WSOP 2005.

You forgot:

5. Random stuff to inflate post counts (like pussy licking http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=4797.0 and Leeroy http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=4897.0)

MickeyHoldem

ScottyZ wrote:

Does that mean if i want to have regular game, it's must be past through word of mouth istead of like website forum?

This idea does not suffer from PMR.

ScottyZ

PMR??? I'm lost here... what does this mean...

....and where has all this advertising being illegal talk come from.... I don't see this anywhere in the criminal code.... I think it was just an AGCO somebody talking out of their a$$!!! Conformation please!!!

beanie42

MickeyHoldem wrote:

PMR??? I'm lost here... what does this mean

beanie42 wrote:

"Profound Mental Retardation"

I'll be nice and not comment

MickeyHoldem wrote:

....and where has all this advertising being illegal talk come from.... I don't see this anywhere in the criminal code.... I think it was just an AGCO somebody talking out of their a$$!!! Conformation please!!!

They probably are incorrect. However, they can still cause problems if they choose to enforce their misinterpreted version of the law. I'd prefer to be legal AND appear legal, thus avoiding the discomfort of dealing with them. But I agree that what they said about advertising makes no sense.

ScottyZ

PMR??? I'm lost here... what does this mean...

I can't get my head around this one. I may be a little slow...

Conformation please!!!

Everything you ever wanted to know about gaming law in Canada, but were afraid to ask:

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-46/42557.html

I can find no mention whatsoever of anything to do with advertising in the relevant sections.

As long as you collect no fee, all food and drinks are free, and you don't advertise it to the public its legal.

Not necessarily so.

It would be illegal to run a poker game as descrbed here where the first prize was paid out in heroin. Advertising or no advertising.

Silly counter-example aside, there can be reasonable examples of tournaments with no fees, no cost for food and drink, and no advertising, which are nonetheless illegal.

ScottyZ

MickeyHoldem

I'll be nice and not comment

I appreciate that!!