Gray
Areas in Colorado Poker Laws
As reported by the Colorado
Springs Gazette: "The Colorado attorney
general says poker games played in bars and
restaurants statewide are illegal, but 4th Judicial
District Attorney John Newsome, like other district
attorneys, doesn't plan a massive crackdown
on poker nights.
"State
gaming authorities allow Newsome that latitude.
They say enforcement of Colorado's gambling
laws is subject to broad interpretation —
a matter for individual district attorneys to
decide.
"…Gambling
enforcement was brought into focus in April,
when 24 people were arrested in Guadala-Jarra's
restaurant during a Texas Hold 'Em poker game
in Palmer Lake. Felony charges against owner
Jeff Hulsmann and his wife, Peggy Jardon, were
deferred for a year last week, and the charges
will be dismissed if the couple adheres to conditions
attached to the court order.
"Most
of the cases against the 22 card players, all
charged with professional gambling, have been
dismissed.
"Newsome
has said Hulsmann's game violated the law because
it featured a buy-in of up to $15. Also, undercover
officers did not know other players at the tables,
which meant that the games violated the state
law's requirement that players have a 'bona
fide social relationship.'
"There
are many opinions, legal and otherwise, about
precisely what constitutes a bona fide social
relationship…"
|
