Is gambling illegal at all venues?
- Thread starter 5railkick
- Start date
If you are talking about playing pool for money, in many areas, it is not considered gambling, for the two people playing each other for money. It has something to do with pool being considered a game of skill and not a game of chance.5railkick said:
This is not true in all areas, so you would have to check your local laws.
Any side betting is illegal in all areas that I know of.
I believe gambling is technically illegal in your house, but who is going to turn you in?
Of course, you wouldn't want to say anything about it, to that neighbor that you don't get along with.
hey.
too right Roscoe!!1pRoscoe said:
JustPlay said:
A few months ago I was playing a guy $50/sets, giving him the call 8 and breaks. He was getting really pissed off and loud that he was losing with weight. He was starting to get obnoxious, so there was a cop who was security for the ph that night. I leaned over and told him to keep an eye on the guy that I was playing, as I think he might do something stupid. Cop said, "you playing him for money?". I said, "yeah, and I'm winning, and would like to keep it that way."
Not a problem at all.... it's one of those laws that really aren't enforced in certain areas, I guess.... Nobody here could care less.
Rich R. said:If you are talking about playing pool for money, in many areas, it is not considered gambling, for the two people playing each other for money. It has something to do with pool being considered a game of skill and not a game of chance.
This is not true in all areas, so you would have to check your local laws.
Any side betting is illegal in all areas that I know of.
I believe gambling is technically illegal in your house, but who is going to turn you in?
Of course, you wouldn't want to say anything about it, to that neighbor that you don't get along with.
In a Federal court ruling, Pool was considered to be a game of skill whereas it is not illegal to play someone for a prize. Where it does become illegal is where there is a third party involved. A stake horse, calcutta or even a wager where one or more of the bettors is not a participant makes it illegal.
just more hot air!
Sherm
I think the IRS is more concerned with it than anyone....I mean if you won...'er... lost...'er.. stole 34k whould you report that income to the IRS and give them their share? Almost all states have lottos....which is controlled gambling...the winners get 1099'd.1pRoscoe said:
OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
It does happen though.
Over the years, I have been in at least 3 pool places that got raided for Gambling. All 3 times though, Gambling was just an excuse for looking for DRUGS.
TY & GL
Over the years, I have been in at least 3 pool places that got raided for Gambling. All 3 times though, Gambling was just an excuse for looking for DRUGS.
TY & GL
5railkick said:
The places that's it's frowned upon probably isn't because of legal reasons, it's probably just the owner's decision. But who wants to go to a ph where you can't gamble? What's bullshit is when you go to a ph to gamble with locals, beat one, and then the owner/employee comes up to you and tells you there's "no gambling allowed" and you can't get another game 'cause the owner/employee is friends with the regulars and don't want them to lose their money. Anybody ever have that happen?
JustPlay said:
check out jimmy reid's www.freepoollessons.com click on stories, then on fats, it has a story how they all got busted for gambling and fatty got them out of it.
whether its true or not.........who knows, but its a great story.
VAP
OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
You dot that right!
Back in about '74 I got busted in a Gambling/Drug raid in Walls, MS. I never have had anything to do with drugs and as anyone in St. Louis will tell you, If I ever got arrested for Gambling, it would get thrown out for lack of evidence.
BUT the IRS took my brand new Continental, $17,000 in cash, my complete wardrobe and my Balabushka. All because I had a 38 snub nose on my belt. Thank God that I remembered a job at a local poolroom that I worked the year before and the owner filled & I paid taxes. My lawyer in MS. also found an old MS. law that said if your more than 50 miles from home and carrying over $50 - you were allowed to carry a gun.
THE IRS HAD TO GIVE BACK EVERYTHING.
But I got some good advice to at least file as a Pro Gambler for the next 5 years.
TY & GL
landshark77 said:
Back in about '74 I got busted in a Gambling/Drug raid in Walls, MS. I never have had anything to do with drugs and as anyone in St. Louis will tell you, If I ever got arrested for Gambling, it would get thrown out for lack of evidence.
BUT the IRS took my brand new Continental, $17,000 in cash, my complete wardrobe and my Balabushka. All because I had a 38 snub nose on my belt. Thank God that I remembered a job at a local poolroom that I worked the year before and the owner filled & I paid taxes. My lawyer in MS. also found an old MS. law that said if your more than 50 miles from home and carrying over $50 - you were allowed to carry a gun.
THE IRS HAD TO GIVE BACK EVERYTHING.
But I got some good advice to at least file as a Pro Gambler for the next 5 years.
TY & GL
Sweet Marissa
www.Bella-Muse.com
If you go to http://www.gambling-law-us.com/ you can look up federal and state gambling laws.
Georgia Gambling Laws
Georgia Gambling Laws
An Act for Punishing of such Persons as Live at High Rates, and have no visible Estate, Profession or Calling Answerable thereunto
Against those lewd and dissolute persons who maintain themselves in their licentious, loose and ungodly practices, do make it their trade and livelyhood, to cheat, deboyst, cozen and deceive the young gentry and other good people of this common wealth with the added law that "if any person or persons shall; by playing at cards, dice, tables, tennis, bowles, or shovelboard, cock fighting or by horse races or any Game or Games, or by bearing any part in the Adventure, or by betting on the sides or hands of such as do or shall play as foresaid, directly or indirectly, win or gain unto him or themselves, any sum or sums of money, or other thing valuable whatsoever, that they every person and persons so winning or gaining as aforesaid, shall forfeit double the sum or value so won or gained"
--London 1656
Against those lewd and dissolute persons who maintain themselves in their licentious, loose and ungodly practices, do make it their trade and livelyhood, to cheat, deboyst, cozen and deceive the young gentry and other good people of this common wealth with the added law that "if any person or persons shall; by playing at cards, dice, tables, tennis, bowles, or shovelboard, cock fighting or by horse races or any Game or Games, or by bearing any part in the Adventure, or by betting on the sides or hands of such as do or shall play as foresaid, directly or indirectly, win or gain unto him or themselves, any sum or sums of money, or other thing valuable whatsoever, that they every person and persons so winning or gaining as aforesaid, shall forfeit double the sum or value so won or gained"
--London 1656
TomShaw-P&B
Registered
Gambling or Test of Skill?
Last year I wrote a story on a small, weekly bar tournament that was busted by a combination task force of state undercover officers and local police. The "tip" they got was the weekly ad the pub placed in the newspaper. So, yes, it does happen. The silliness of it all made it easy to mock in the article, and citizens wrote so many letters to the editor of the local paper that the judge issued a small token fine, the players got their cues, racks and chalk (!) back, and the DA and police backed off.
A few years back, as part of an article on hustling, I surveyed states and found that five states regarded a matchup between two players for money as a game of skill and not gambling. In all other states playing someone for money is illegal. Really dumb, but there it is.
If I recall correctly, the states were Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, Nevada and ... uh ... maybe one of the Dakotas. Senior moment.
In other states it often depends on the whims/orientation of the people with power. In Florida a dozen years ago Corrine Hoffman told me they busted one of her normal tournament because the state law is written in such a way as to say if anyone - players, promoters, room owners - makes any money, or even tries to, it's gambling. The law was written so that only charities could hold events, and even then only under strict conditions.
As we all know, however, enforcement is mostly of the "No harm, no foul" flavor: tournaments, and even head-to-head matches, happen all the time and no one really seems to care. Still, they can getcha if they wanna.
Tom Shaw
P&B Mag
Last year I wrote a story on a small, weekly bar tournament that was busted by a combination task force of state undercover officers and local police. The "tip" they got was the weekly ad the pub placed in the newspaper. So, yes, it does happen. The silliness of it all made it easy to mock in the article, and citizens wrote so many letters to the editor of the local paper that the judge issued a small token fine, the players got their cues, racks and chalk (!) back, and the DA and police backed off.
A few years back, as part of an article on hustling, I surveyed states and found that five states regarded a matchup between two players for money as a game of skill and not gambling. In all other states playing someone for money is illegal. Really dumb, but there it is.
If I recall correctly, the states were Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, Nevada and ... uh ... maybe one of the Dakotas. Senior moment.
In other states it often depends on the whims/orientation of the people with power. In Florida a dozen years ago Corrine Hoffman told me they busted one of her normal tournament because the state law is written in such a way as to say if anyone - players, promoters, room owners - makes any money, or even tries to, it's gambling. The law was written so that only charities could hold events, and even then only under strict conditions.
As we all know, however, enforcement is mostly of the "No harm, no foul" flavor: tournaments, and even head-to-head matches, happen all the time and no one really seems to care. Still, they can getcha if they wanna.
Tom Shaw
P&B Mag
ACTS AND LAWS, Made and passed by the general assembly of the State of
Connecticut, in America, holden at New-Haven on the second Thursday of
October, Anno Domini 1786.
"An Act against Gaming"
Be it Enacted by the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General
court assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That if any Per-
son or Persons in this State, of what Rank, or Quality, soever, shall play at
Billiards, every such Person shall pay as a Fine, the Sum of Twenty
Shillings, for every such Offence. And the Head of every Family where
any such game is used with his; or her Privity, or Consent, shall pay in
like manner, the Sum of Twenty Shillings, for each Time any such Game
is used in his, or her House, whether such Game shall be used at a pub-
lick or private House ; any Law, Usage or Custom to the contrary not-
withstanding.
And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That any Person;
or Persons who shall have, or keep in his, her, or their Custody or Posses-
sion at any Time after the twentieth Day of November next, any Billiard
Table, shall forfeit and pay to the Treasurer of the Town in which the
same shall be kept, the Sum of Forty Shillings Lawful Money ; and the
like Sum for every Time, as often as any such Billiard Table shall be
found in the Custody or Possession of any Person or Persons whatsoever,
after the Time aforesaid ; which Fines shall be recovered, and disposed of
in the same Manner as provided for the Recovery and Disposition of
other Fines, by the Act aforesaid.
Connecticut, in America, holden at New-Haven on the second Thursday of
October, Anno Domini 1786.
"An Act against Gaming"
Be it Enacted by the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General
court assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That if any Per-
son or Persons in this State, of what Rank, or Quality, soever, shall play at
Billiards, every such Person shall pay as a Fine, the Sum of Twenty
Shillings, for every such Offence. And the Head of every Family where
any such game is used with his; or her Privity, or Consent, shall pay in
like manner, the Sum of Twenty Shillings, for each Time any such Game
is used in his, or her House, whether such Game shall be used at a pub-
lick or private House ; any Law, Usage or Custom to the contrary not-
withstanding.
And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That any Person;
or Persons who shall have, or keep in his, her, or their Custody or Posses-
sion at any Time after the twentieth Day of November next, any Billiard
Table, shall forfeit and pay to the Treasurer of the Town in which the
same shall be kept, the Sum of Forty Shillings Lawful Money ; and the
like Sum for every Time, as often as any such Billiard Table shall be
found in the Custody or Possession of any Person or Persons whatsoever,
after the Time aforesaid ; which Fines shall be recovered, and disposed of
in the same Manner as provided for the Recovery and Disposition of
other Fines, by the Act aforesaid.
OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
They called them..........
When it came time to arrest me (for the CCW) and process my property, they said there was someone there who wanted to talk to me. The IRS. They asked what I did for a living. etc. They (the IRS) are the ones who confiscated everything.
TY & GL
GeraldG said:
When it came time to arrest me (for the CCW) and process my property, they said there was someone there who wanted to talk to me. The IRS. They asked what I did for a living. etc. They (the IRS) are the ones who confiscated everything.
TY & GL
OldHasBeen said:
I gotcha...I went back and read your post again. At first it looked like somehow the CCW and the tax issue were tied together and that BECAUSE the CCW was dropped (or not prosecuted) the IRS had to return the property. Now I see what you were saying...the police in Walls, MS are pricks. Normally, the IRS would not be contacted by the police agency that affected the arrest in a case like that. The prosecutor might if there was a large gambling enterprise or a large drug-dealing enterprise, but for something like you were invovled in they usually wouldn't even bother with that unless they just wanted to be an asshole.
OldHasBeen
Tom Ferry
No, they were already there with them.
They just had to call this guy over and tell him they had someone they think he may want to talk to. The place was raided by the M.B.N. - Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The ironic part is that I only had on my pistol because I had noticed these guys in M.B.N. ball caps and could tell they were carrying. I went to my car and got my pistol to offer it to the owner, Sonny. He was already watching them and on my way out is when about 12 of them came busting in the front door. The pistol was a brand new S&W 5 shot. I had convinced a young officer to just lift it off my belt and keep it for himself when a supervisor came along and asked him "What you got there, a CCW"?
So much for trying to be a nice guy!
TY & GL
GeraldG said:
They just had to call this guy over and tell him they had someone they think he may want to talk to. The place was raided by the M.B.N. - Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The ironic part is that I only had on my pistol because I had noticed these guys in M.B.N. ball caps and could tell they were carrying. I went to my car and got my pistol to offer it to the owner, Sonny. He was already watching them and on my way out is when about 12 of them came busting in the front door. The pistol was a brand new S&W 5 shot. I had convinced a young officer to just lift it off my belt and keep it for himself when a supervisor came along and asked him "What you got there, a CCW"?
So much for trying to be a nice guy!
TY & GL