Bill Introduced to Legalize Poker in Texas

[Kori Ellis]

Bill Introduced to Legalize Poker in Texas


http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=170a166e-7d2f-4a08-b852-c90bf935b2b0

You could soon be able to play poker for real money in Texas bars. State Rep. Jose Menendez from San Antonio has introduced a bill that would regulate poker here. If passed, up to four poker tables would be allowed in certain bars or establishments.

“This legislation could raise over a billion dollars over the next biennium for state coffers while bringing the game out of legal limbo and into the light,” said Mike Lavigne, treasurer of the Texas Poker PAC. “Texas would finally be able to benefit from rise of Texas Hold’em”

Charity poker tournaments would also be legal. Supporters say it would raise moneys for state programs.

“Charitable poker means more Texans win,” said Lavigne. “Texas charities are losing out on millions of dollars due to the antiquated laws governing the game.”

Despite recent federal attempts to eliminate online poker, the game continues to grow in popularity worldwide. As poker related television programming continues to spread in popularity, so do the many new tournaments that attract tourists and visitors. States like California and Connecticut have long been reaping the benefits of the poker boom.

“We applaud Representative Menendez for taking the time to compile such a thorough piece of legislation,” said Lavigne. “This bill gives poker back to Texans and the state oversight over the millions of dollars already moving across Texas tables.”

Highlights of the bill:

4 live and/or electronic, raked tables allowed in each establishment that meets requirements
Lottery Commission decides how many tables are allowed in each racetrack
Charitable poker enabled
Mandatory dealer training and licensing (inexpensive)
Licensing for distributors of commercial poker equipment
Money raised will be dedicated to necessary state services
Criminal penalties for dishonest operators
Raises over a billion dollars for state services

Click here to see the bill (http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB3186)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Cool. Hope it passes.

[Kori Ellis]

More from AP

Big resorts with full casinos, shops and restaurants could be built in up to a dozen Texas cities under legislation proposed Thursday by two high-profile senators and backed by major gambling interests.

Voters ultimately would have the say on the proposed constitutional amendment legalizing casino gambling.

A main selling point of the plan, the legislators contend, is a provision that would dedicate $1 billion per year to a fund to pay for eligible Texans to attend a community college or public university.

Sen. John Carona, a Dallas Republican, and Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat, sponsors of the legislation, both said they aren't gamblers themselves. But they said casinos in Texas would slow the flow of gambling money leaving the state. They also said "destination resort casinos" will attract tourism money for related activities, like high-end entertainment.

"Texans are already voting with their feet and going out of state," Ellis said. "It's time for Texas to reap the economic benefits and use that revenue to help Texas students go to college."

It hasn't been determined which cities would get the casinos. A gaming commission appointed by state leaders would decide which developers receive permits to operate them.

The Ellis-Carona :lol proposal would provide $1 billion per year for a trust fund to pay for college tuition covering about 240,000 students once the program is fully running. Details on who would qualify would be worked out by state officials, but roughly it would cover scholarships for the students who had a combined SAT score of 1,000 or above, said economist Ray Perryman, who conducted studies for the proposal.

Perryman said casino gambling would create up to 400,000 new jobs and generate $3 billion to $4.5 billion in state and local revenue.

Proponents say Texans already spend about $10 billion per year gambling, some of it in other states and some of it illegally in Texas through eight-liners and on the Internet.

The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by Texas voters, would allow for 12 casino gambling sites -- seven in urban areas, two along the Gulf coast and three on Indian reservations. It also would legalize video slot machines at horse and dog race tracks.

Opponents predict the casino legislation will go the same place similar bills have gone before -- nowhere.

"They just warm this baby up and roll it out every session," said Suzii Paynter, director of the Baptist lobby's Christian Life Commission. "Why would we go for such a bad deal?"

Paynter said the state would get a far lower return on casino gambling than it does on the state lottery and that, despite talk of tourism, casinos depend heavily on addicted gamblers and a large percentage of gamblers who come from within a 50-mile radius.

There's a stronger public relations effort associated with this gambling proposal and a new promise of college scholarships, said Paynter, but she expects there will be the same firm opposition in the Legislature seen in recent sessions.

"Texas doesn't need this. We have great economic development in our state, and we bring businesses to our state that are built on a family friendly business model," she said.

Ellis and Carona, along with the powerful Texas Gaming Association that backs their plan, said this is an opportunity to enhance Texas tourism and boost the state and local economies.

If the constitutional amendment is approved by statewide voters, local voters would also have to approve any casino project.

The key to success of casino gambling in Texas is doing it in a comprehensive fashion, said Jack Pratt of Dallas, a former hotel and casino developer who chairs the Texas Gaming Association.

"There's only one way to develop this business, and that is with large destination resorts," Pratt said. Those casinos would pull business away from neighboring states' casinos, he said.

Other gambling bills are also pending at the Capitol.

Legislation by Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores, a Palmview Democrat, would allow video slots at Texas race tracks and on Indian reservations.

Ellis and Carona said they would be working closely with Flores. They said they would oppose a gambling measure that allows only video slot machines at tracks without establishing full resort casinos.

On Thursday, Rep. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, filed legislation seeking to regulate poker in Texas. It would allow up to four live or electronic poker tables at establishments meeting certain requirements and would allow charitable poker.

[timvp]

Ellis to the rescue.

:smokin

[mardigan]

Sweet, no more illegal garage games

[Phil Hellmuth]

as long as big government gets it cut.....

[Das Texan]

good, maybe my retirement can end.

[T Park]

as long as big government gets it cut.....



would you rather it be illegal?


Hope this passes and fuck face rick perry passes it.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Damnit, if they legalize casinos they better not limit it to slots and poker. Give me table games too, please...

[T Park]

they legalize casinos they better not limit it to slots and poker. Give me table games too, please...



are you speaking of like blackjack and what not?

Im a newbie to damn gambling.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I play craps all the time. It pisses me off that Winstar up in Oklahoma doesn't have table games, just poker and slots. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of dumbasses at the poker table to take advantage of, but you can play dice all night long if you know what you're doing.

Blackjack would be bueno too.

[Kori Ellis]

I play craps all the time. It pisses me off that Winstar up in Oklahoma doesn't have table games, just poker and slots. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of dumbasses at the poker table to take advantage of, but you can play dice all night long if you know what you're doing.

Blackjack would be bueno too.

I understand that the resort casinos proposed by Ellis (and that other guy :)) are full casinos.

[T Park]

Do they say where these resort casinos are gonna be built?

I pray like, Seguin, or northeast of town.

[Kori Ellis]

Do they say where these resort casinos are gonna be built?

I pray like, Seguin, or northeast of town.

I haven't read anything more specific than this in the article:


12 casino gambling sites -- seven in urban areas, two along the Gulf coast and three on Indian reservations

That would be 12 in all of Texas. I'm sure something wouldn't be far from here, if it happens.

Even if they just put poker in bars (which is what the initial article is about) then that's okay with me.

[T Park]

Something on the coast, Ill assume Padre gets one, and Galveston.

Man.

Padre during spring break.


Casino, poker, blackjack, hotties in swimsuits.

Sheeeiiiiit.

[T Park]

The dang indian reservations though are way the hell and gone in the middle of no where.

Friggen Eagle pass......

[whottt]

I play craps all the time. It pisses me off that Winstar up in Oklahoma doesn't have table games, just poker and slots. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of dumbasses at the poker table to take advantage of, but you can play dice all night long if you know what you're doing.

Blackjack would be bueno too.



Werd...dice is my game.

My favorite bet is pitting the law of probability VS the law of averages and chasing boxcars and snakeyes. Remind me to tell you my system sometime(if you tell me one of yours)...it requires a lot of patience though...and the willingness to be abused by the pitboss and crew while you are chasing. But once you win...the free room and food is nice.

[whottt]

We here at ST need to do our part to get this bill passed.. I love Lousiana but I hate having to go out of state to gamble... and since Louisiana got nuked going there isn't as much fun as it used to be(is it?).

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

As to the location of the casinos...

The Wynn Corporation and Harrah's Entertainment, and I think one or two others, have quietly bought a crap load of land in Dallas. One of my friends who's in commercial real estate told me there's like 5-6 companies that want to build in Dallas and will announce plans the day that casinos are legalized in Texas.

whott - I'd be interested to hear it. I've heard lots of strategies. Some are just fun for when you're drunk, some actually work.

Personally I learned how to set and throw dice. You can't call your shot every time, but you can certainly lower the percentages of crapping out. I had about a 20 minute roll in Vegas back in December, and watched some other guy who was really good roll for nearly 40 minutes.

Good times (and profits!).

I would also expect to see them built in Austin (gotta accommodate the politicians), SA (riverwalk casino would be nice), and Houston (hello oil money).

[MannyIsGod]

I just made a mess in my pants.

Do you guys realize how much money there is to be made at live poker games? It trumps the internet soooooooooooooooooooooo damn much. I can only hope this is true.

[Kori Ellis]

I just made a mess in my pants.

Do you guys realize how much money there is to be made at live poker games? It trumps the internet soooooooooooooooooooooo damn much. I can only hope this is true.

Well I think the one for legalizing money games in San Antonio bars has a good shot.

I haven't researched the one about full casinos throughout Texas enough yet.

But the one for money games in bars in cool enough for me. :greedy

[MannyIsGod]

Yeah - I would like full blown casinos as well, but I will take what I can get. It would make it so much easier for me with online being much tighter.

[T Park]

With the added revenue from this, they could STFU about toll roads.

[Kori Ellis]

Yeah - I would like full blown casinos as well, but I will take what I can get. It would make it so much easier for me with online being much tighter.

Well I think the full blown casinos will happen eventually (within a couple years). But money at bar poker would be cool for now.

[johnsmith]

With the added revenue from this, they could STFU about toll roads.


I don't imagine that the profits or taxes from a casino would go towards building roads jackass.


There should be a some sort of mega :rolleyes , but since there isn't, then the following will have to do:

:rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes

[T Park]

Now heres my question, theres these tournys Kori you, LJ, Kris and his other half go to, you win money at them, whats the difference between them and this.

Winning real money every hand, as opposed to having all the chips and winning a certain amount?

[Kori Ellis]

Now heres my question, theres these tournys Kori you, LJ, Kris and his other half go to, you win money at them, whats the difference between them and this.

Winning real money every hand, as opposed to having all the chips and winning a certain amount?

Are you talking about tourneys at bars, currently?

The difference is we don't pay to play in them. They are free to enter and then there's a "prize" for winning from the establishment.

They don't consider that gambling.

[T Park]

I don't imagine that the profits or taxes from a casino would go towards building roads jackass.



It should.

WTF does it fund? The bottomless brokenpit that is education?

You have a need for a highway, you propose casinos for added tax revenue, said revenue could fund highways.

What am I missing?

[T Park]

Are you talking about tourneys at bars, currently?

The difference is we don't pay to play in them. They are free to enter and then there's a "prize" for winning from the establishment.

They don't consider that gambling.




Thanks, i apologize for the dumb question.

I guess a charity tourny, where you pay to enter, ALL the money id assume has to go to the chairty.


I apologize, Ive never played in the said tournys in SA.

[Kori Ellis]

Thanks, i apologize for the dumb question.

I guess a charity tourny, where you pay to enter, ALL the money id assume has to go to the chairty.


I apologize, Ive never played in the said tournys in SA.

I've never played in a charity tournament. But bar poker that we play in sometimes works like I said. You go there, sign up on a list and play. You don't pay anything. Then the winners (and sometimes the 2nd/3rd place) get a prize.

There's organization that run the tournaments at different bars.

http://www.lovemypoker.com/default.cfm

http://barpoker.com/

Sometimes the prize is $50, sometimes $100+, sometimes a gift certificate to the place. Sometimes you just accumulate points and when if you get enough, you go to a bigger monthly tourney, etc.

It's usually between 40-100 people playing in each tournament.

[tlongII]

I can't imagine that Vegas or the Indian reservations are happy about this.

[SequSpur]

There is no difference. Manny would lose his garage games just like he would lose at a legalized casino. :lol

[SequSpur]

I play holdem tourneys with 8-25 people every other week and someone different wins every time.

I was in Ruidoso two weeks ago and some old man who could barely move was schooling the whole table. I saw a dude win 12K that had never won before. It's all about luck.

[SequSpur]

The point of this bill is smart... Why in the shit should Texans support Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico? Those casinos would be down the tubes if Texas jumped on the casino board.. It would be over...

As for internet gambling, you can blame Vegas for that.

[SequSpur]

Louisiana is also funding part of the New Orleans Saints.. Shit, this might collapse the whole thing and they could move to San Antonio. :smokin

[MannyIsGod]

Charity Tournaments are illegal in Texas at this time, Tpark.

And there is no way this will ever fund roads. You're insane if people are going to voet casinos in to fund anything other than education. As for Toll Roads - if you want to use the road then pay for it. Isn't that the way you usually want things anyhow?

Any poker game where there is no charge to play is legal in Texas at a private establishment. In otherwords as long as there is no rake it is legal at this time. Charity tournaments are considred raked, thats why they are illegal.

Sequ, I've never walked into a real casino and left with less money than I came with.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The point of this bill is smart... Why in the shit should Texans support Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico? Those casinos would be down the tubes if Texas jumped on the casino board.. It would be over...

As for internet gambling, you can blame Vegas for that.

Indeed. Every time me and coworkers go to Shreveport, 90% of the cars in the parking lot have Texas plates.

It's the same in Oklahoma.

Between the tech and natural gas industry in Dallas and the oil industry in Houston, there'd be a lot of money out there for the casinos to pull in.

[Kori Ellis]

I don't know if you guys are following this lately, but this week there have been public hearings in Austin about the poker bill.

Here's a good blog that recaps what is going on:

http://pokerplayersalliance.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/event-recap-texas-poker-bill-public-hearing-in-austin-tx/

[CosmicCowboy]

If they don't pass the casino bill but pass the "charity" bill it would probably be set up a lot like the bingo halls now. The charity wouldn't actually have to run it, but the poker hall would have to give 40% of the profit to the selected charity.

[Jimcs50]

Since the Lottery is almost making no money due to lack of interest the last few years, Texas is looking for other means of revenue.

[Deede4525]

Wow....legal casinos and Texas Hold'em poker in Texas would be fantastic. :cheer

No one is going to stop people from gambling, so we might as well keep it in Texas.

Woo hoo, I'd love to see some beautiful casinos built....not like the ones in Oklahoma though. :smokin

[MannyIsGod]

If anyone here is really interested in this happening please give money to the PPA. Having a strong lobby who has enough money to do everything they need to do is essential to getting these bills passed and having adequate representation in any legislative process.

PPA members were also invited to speak in front of the legislature during hte hearings this past Tuesday so it gives you an avenue to express your views a bit more loudly.

[THE ONE AND ONLY]

I would be happy with the charity games. I hate casinos because of the cig smoke. Every time my parents go to Louisiana to gamble they see someone from Texas they know. Hopefully this would keep Texan money in Texas.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Manny's chode just shattered into a million bits and peices

[MannyIsGod]

Dear Texas PPA Member:

I had a great couple of days in Austin this week testifying on behalf of Poker Player Alliance members in Texas and doing publicity with the Texas Poker PAC to pass the Texas Poker Act (HB 3186). Our committee hearing went extremely well. Our witness list included Lyle Berman of the World Poker Tour, Erick Lindgren, Clonie Gowen, Crandall Addington and several others. I want to thank those members who took the time to call, write or attend. We are winning but I need your help now! Please contact your State Representative today and tell them that you are in favor of the Texas Poker Act, HB 3186 by Representative Menendez and you want them to vote for it. We need everybody to call and email immediately, so that we can move this bill quickly.


Click here to find out who your representative is and how to contact them by phone or e-mail. I would suggest that you contact their Austin office if possible: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php

Along with calls, please email them as well. Here is a message you can cut and paste if you would like:

------------------------------------
Dear Representative,

I am a Texas poker player and voter. Please support HB 3186, The Texas Poker Act by Jose Menendez. This legislation will bring great economic benefit to the state of Texas, as well as make poker safe and regulated in Texas. Please help bring Texas Hold'em back home to Texas.

Thanks you for your support,

Your Name Here

--------------------------------------
This is very important. Please contact your State Representative TODAY. If it is the weekend leave a message. Call back again on Tuesday too! We want to flood offices with overwhelming support for this bill.

Thank you for your commitment to safe legal poker in Texas.

Also please click here to sign up for our chat with Senator Alfonse D'Amato on Thursday, April 12 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time.

Regards,

Michael Bolcerek
President
Poker Players Alliance

[drunkendan]

I know this is an oooolllllddddd post but has anyone heard anything lately about this. This would be awesome if it gets passed. I play at this indian casino in El Paso when we're visiting family and they used to host freeroll tournaments and once people busted out they would play for cash under the table. Now the casino offers buy-in tournaments.The locals tell me that the casino found a loop-hole or something that allows them to do this. Just wondering if that was related to this Bill.

[Hook Dem]

As much as this is needed in Texas, I would bet against it ever happening. There are strong lobbyists that are funded by louisiana and Las Vegas. It can no longer be blamed on the "southern baptist". Big business speaks!

[MannyIsGod]

It did not pass.