How To Start A Legal Poker Room
This video will show you How To Make Money Running A Texas Holdem Tournament Legally. You do not take any entry fees so it is not gambling. The video will sh. So today I was driving past a local poker room and thought about how much of a good idea it would be to open a new hip poker room. It would semi attract the younger crowd, ie., you could play 360 or PS3 while you wait, 50 LCD (HD), lower limit NLH (.50/1-1/2), higher limits for people that wanted. The main reasons most casinos have poker rooms is to draw in people that will hopefully also spend money at their other games, as they don't want to lose customers who would have lost a lot at table games to casinos with a poker room if they didn't have one. A poker room would be a lot of work for not a lot of money. You will still need to do a little research into your local laws to make sure you're compliant with them, but these simple rules will go a long way toward ensuring your game is both legal and safe. The websites HomePokerGames and PokerDIY both provide some explanations of gambling laws as they pertain to home poker games in different locations.
Texas is one of the strictest states when it comes to gambling and its laws can cover a wide variety of activities. Under Texas law, (Penal Code ยง47.02) gambling is considered a criminal offense if someone:
- makes a bet on the partial or final result of a game or contest or on the performance of a participant in a game or contest
- makes a bet on the result of any political nomination, appointment, or election or on the degree of success of any nominee, appointee, or candidate; or
- plays and bets for money or other thing of value at any game played with cards, dice, balls, or any other gambling device.
The law does provide for some exceptions such as participating in the state lotteryor placing bets on horse and greyhound dog races (sometimes referred to as pari-mutuel wagering). The law also provides for some affirmative defenses to prosecution:
- the actor engaged in gambling in a private place;
- no person received any economic benefit other than personal winnings; and
- except for the advantage of skill or luck, the risks of losing and the chances of winning were the same for all participants
How To Open A Legal Poker Room
Additional exceptions include if the person reasonably believed their conduct:
- was permitted under Chapter 2001, Occupations Code; (Charitable Bingo)
- was permitted under Chapter 2002, Occupations Code; (Charitable Raffles)
- was permitted under Chapter 2004, Occupations Code; (Sports Charity Raffles)
How To Start A Legal Poker Room Games
The first page of this guide will provide you with an overview of the Texas laws on gambling while the subsequent pages will discuss more specific topics like bingo, eight-liners and poker.