Poker Players Alliance Forums » State - CO

illegal?

(3 posts)
  • Started 7 months ago by playpttt
  • Latest reply from Tahosa65

  1. playpttt
    Member

    Hello,

    I work at a pool room/bar in Colorado and a couple of weeks ago these guys wanted to use some chips so they could play cards. So, I gave them some chips that we use for the free poker tournament. I didn't ask if the where going to be playing for anything. They played heads up and one of the men ended up losing $500 to the other guy. The guy that lost calls the cops but nothing was done about it. A week later we get raided by the gaming police. They say that we could be charged with a felony. They search the whole bar and we are going to be put on a watch list and get searched randomly and they are going to send in under covers. I thought that people where allowed to gamble amongst themselves if the house was not taking a rake or tips?

    Posted 7 months ago #

  2. Skallagrim
    Moderator

    Talk to a lawyer in Colorado. The PPA can provide names of lawyers for you to contact if you do not have a regular one.

    Colorado has a pretty liberal social gaming exception in its law, and based on what you say I would conclude you violated no law. But the State Police in Colorado seem to have a real problem with poker (maybe the head guy suffered one too many bad beats) and aggressively prosecute and investigate.

    For fuller details see the thread on Colorado law in the "Ask Skallagrim" forum.

    Skallagrim

    Posted 7 months ago #

  3. Tahosa65
    Member

    If I may, having spent many months and much time (both inside courtrooms and law enforcement offices) trying to understand what the CBI and local law enforcement want from the people of Colorado I offer the following.
    If your bar has a cabaret license as opposed to a simple liquor license, players can participate in a private game among themselves without interference from law enforcement. The cabaret license grants the establishment the right to have live entertainment and Poker falls under that provision. For the game itself to be legal other factors come into play, but the bar is not responsible. The enforcement of this is under the purvey of the State Liquor Board. For the game to be legal in and of itself it has to only include people with a provable social relationship. That is a group of friends, lawyers, cops, firefighters etc.
    Stupid? Undoubtedly. Legal? Questionable. Right? Absolutely not.

    Gary R Reed
    Colorado State Director
    Poker Players Alliance

    Posted 5 months ago #

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