Charity poker benefit illegal
By Julie Arrington
Montgomery AdvertiserA Texas-style poker game planned for this weekend to benefit the American Red Cross is illegal, 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Randall Houston said Tuesday.
The game is supposed to be played at the National Guard Armory in Wetumpka on Saturday. The money raised was to go to the Red Cross with prizes to be given to winners.
Houston said he has notified the armory that the game is illegal and he will be meeting with the game's organizer and representatives from the attorney general's office today morning.
"In Autauga, Elmore and Chilton counties there's no exception for charity gambling," he said. "There's several counties in Alabama that have passed constitutional amendments that allow them to have charity bingo.
"Charity bingo and charity gambling are not the same, but the bottom line is Elmore County, Autauga County and Chilton County have never obtained or sought a constitutional amendment to have charity bingo or charity gambling," he said.
Tom Isbell, the event's organizer, said he will decide whether to cancel the game after meeting with Houston today. He said the tournament already had signed 25 to 30 participants.
"It's a charitable event. One hundred percent of the money is going to the Red Cross so I don't understand what's the issue. I've got to talk to Randall Houston tomorrow," he said. "If they're going to do this then they've got to come down on the raffles, they're illegal, the golf tournaments, fishing tournaments. All of those are gaming events, so I don't understand why this particular one is being singled out."
Isbell said that he checked with Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin before moving ahead with the event and was told that after checking with Houston's office, the event was legal.
"I went to the trouble to get this straightened out ahead of time," he said.
Houston said his office did not give approval for the tournament. Attempts to reach Franklin were unsuccessful.
The poker tournament play is based on a points system. Players pay $25 for 500 points in the first hour and can make unlimited rebuys in the same amount whenever the point total falls below 500. At the end of the first hour, players could pay the same amount for 1,000 points. Sponsors donated prizes, including a trip to Las Vegas and jewelry, to be given to winners instead of money.
Wetumpka resident Tom Salter was disappointed when he heard the game might be cancelled.
"It'll be a shame because it's for charity, and there's nobody making any money on it except for the Red Cross as far as I know," he said.
Houston added that next week his office will be checking into a tip he got that gas stations along Alabama 14 are using machines people put quarters in hoping to win money, known as push machines.
"If there are push machines in the gas stations on Highway 14 they will be receiving a visit from us this week so if they've got them they need to get rid of them," he said. "If you've got them, you need to get rid of them. They're not legal either."
