I do not understand, do you think Mike is suppose to run the Viking Tour out of the goodness of his heart? It is his lively hood and he is very good at it. He also does the auction and it is not an easy task. Many top players would not play in a tournament if there was not an auction. It is a big part of the the money they make. To debate the legality of a sport where gambling is such a huge part of it makes no sense to me.
From small to big tournaments it is a part of the package and part of our sport good or bad, legal or not, it's not going to change. I have played in several of Mike's events and he really works hard, I would not want his job and I am sure no else would. He gets one of the biggest turn outs of any tourney I have seen and has worked hard to get industry sponsorships and keep entry fees low. It was only 30.00 to enter the 2500.00 added event last weekend and free for non pro women and juniors!
People post all kinds of stories on here about gambling and other not so legal activities, this is a POOL forum not a tea party?