Celebrity Poker Question

[dolphinboy]

Okay... I guess it's not really related to celebrities, but any television show that shows real live gambling, like a poker tournament where they are playing for real money. Normally these programs are shot in Las Vegas for obvious reasons. Could they set this up in any TV studio or would it have to be in a community that allows gambling such as Las Vegas? I know there are card clubs in the LA area, like in Commerce CA... so couldn't they just film it in LA if they wanted to? Or do they have to film it in Nevada or New Jersey (yes I know casino gambling is legal in other places in the US too).

[Otto]

Some events are taped in California casinos. Foxwoods in CT is a stop on the World Poker Tour, as is Aruba, and WPT has an annual cruise as well. As I understand gaming laws, in most places in the US poker is legal as long as the house takes no cut. Since it wouldn't really pay for a venue to host a tournament without being able to charge an entry fee, it's just easier to stay where poker with rakes is legal.

[groman]

Are there places in the US where playing poker is illegal?

Poker is a game of skill played against other opponents. I can't see how you could make it illegal without making things like the Olympics, race tracks, sporting events, bowling, etc. illegal by precedent. I mean you could ban it by name, but then you could just rename it

There's definitely various local regulations that regulate card rooms in California, for example, but it's not terribly hard to comply and set one up in a studio in Hollywood. Especially a private club affair (even if it's televised) that is invitation only.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by groman

Are there places in the US where playing poker is illegal?

Yep. Poker author Bob Ciaffone has written columns over the past year on the legal status of poker in the US. One particularly egregious case he describes involves a police raid in South Carolina to bust a tournament being held in an apartment complex's rec room. He quotes the SC statute that bans poker:

Originally Posted by SC statutes

SECTION 16-19-40. Unlawful games and betting. If any person shall play at any tavern, inn, store for the retailing of spirituous liquors or in any house used as a place of gaming, barn, kitchen, stable or other outhouse, street, highway, open wood, race field or open place at (a) any game with cards or dice, (b) any gaming table, commonly called A, B, C, or E, O, or any gaming table known or distinguished by any other letters or by any figures, (c) any roley-poley table, (d) rouge et noir, (e) any faro bank (f) any other table or bank of the same or the like kind under any denomination whatsoever or (g) any machine or device licensed pursuant to Section 12-21-2720 and used for gambling purposes, except the games of billiards, bowls, backgammon, chess, draughts, or whist when there is no betting on any such game of billiards, bowls, backgammon, chess, draughts …

There have been a series of raids on New York City cardrooms over the last year. A guy here in Madison who runs free tournaments in a number of Wisconsin cities was going to host a fundraising tournament for some friends of mine but declined because the Milwaukee police were cracking down on him there.

[OldGuy]

That must be an old law to mention whist and not bridge. Not saying it's nto still in force, but bridge developed from and became morepopular than whist early in the 20th century.

[SmackFu]

I know they've done the WPT at the Commerce Casino.

As far as the actual "Celebrity Poker" show, that's for charity so I imagine they can film it anywhere.