Are Pool League Members Allowed to Gamble Outside of League Play?
- Thread starter JAM
- Start date
Any person with free will can play for money, no league should be able to dictate that. Skill level doesn't matter either.
If you're letting a league tell you what you can or can't do, then you need to grow a pair or quit said league.
I'm in agreement.
There’s been some recent talk about league members being banned over gambling. I don’t know all the details, which is why I’m not naming names, but as we all know, the pool rumor mill tends to fill in the gaps sooner or later.
Personally, I see both sides of this.
What someone does on their own time, away from league venues, feels like it should be their business. At the same time, if a player is being paid or officially representing the league, that changes things and raises the bar for accountability.
To me, it really comes down to the rules. If gambling is clearly prohibited, then it should be off-limits across the board, whether at a league event or privately. If it’s not explicitly addressed, then you end up in this gray, fuzzy area where interpretation and enforcement can get tricky.
And I was curious where others stand on this.
I would refer to the contract I signed......Wait a minute! I don't recall ever signing a contract to play in a league. 
I do recall a certain player being banned from All BCAPL events due to unsportsmanlike conduct. While his opponent was on a bathroom time out, he took a pencil and enlarged the holes in the opponents magic rack. Don't recall if he paid for the rack though.
I do recall a certain player being banned from All BCAPL events due to unsportsmanlike conduct. While his opponent was on a bathroom time out, he took a pencil and enlarged the holes in the opponents magic rack. Don't recall if he paid for the rack though.
WTF????I would refer to the contract I signed......Wait a minute! I don't recall ever signing a contract to play in a league.
I do recall a certain player being banned from All BCAPL events due to unsportsmanlike conduct. While his opponent was on a bathroom time out, he took a pencil and enlarged the holes in the opponents magic rack. Don't recall if he paid for the rack though.
No league around here (apa,tap,bca,acs,usapl ) gives a rats ass if you gamble during leagues or not he actual league match your playing. As long as you’re paying your dues it’s none of their business . That being said in 30 years of playing I don’t think I’ve ever seen it as I recall.
It was heading east from Seattle the Snoqualmie event that had All the best in the Northwest. I enjoyed watching Jim Ward as he topped me in my best finish in a Big Boys event.
Pretty sure I donated and was not in top shape at the time.
League Championships were and are our vacation.
Leagues need to be fun or what's the point. My first place finish in the Oregon Coast event paid for the vacation. No more or less.
"We play to have fun" is . . .. Powerful.
Search me and football for the old fart story.
The spirit of garczar is within you.
I was about to tag him! WTF!!!
Thank you for sharing this. The APA is the entity that was in the rumor mill, but after reading this, it adds more information as to why. I agree with the rules.
But outside of the league venue and APA competitions, every man/woman for his- or herself, and those rules would not apply. Thanks again!
BCA does say it is unsportsmanlike conduct to offer to gamble with opponents or spectators during your match. Rule 1-45. But that is not exactly a broad ban on gambling.
What’s the penalty for doing so?
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Discretionary. Range of penalties from warning to DQ. The rule lists factors they consider. I have no idea how often it comes up in their events. I haven’t had opponents ask me to gamble, but I haven’t played tons of their events. I doubt I’d call them on it; it would take a lot for me to run to a ref over that. I really don’t know how common it is or how people react to it.
Here's my favorite story about someone asking their opponent to gamble in a tournament. It wasn't league play, but it was an amateur event at the time. Be careful whose cape you tug on.
