Live poker
Another GAC subcommittee is working on updating live poker statutes.
Pub Date: 1/1/2003
Sen. Joe Tropila (D-Great Falls) is chairing a subcommittee charged with updating live card games rules particularly poker including dealer licensing requirements, tournament formats, pot limits and more.
Huntington reported the division is swamped with dealer license applications since the upswell in the popularity of Texas Hold 'Em in Montana and nationwide.
The chief problem is dealers who apply for a temporary license, then don't follow through on obtaining the permanent license and cannot be tracked down by the division.
It has been recommended temporary licenses expire after just 30 days and that dealer license fees be increased to help the division process the escalating number of applications, now nearing 900 as opposed to just 300 or so a few years ago.
The subcommittee has also been considering improved regulation of poker tournaments, especially those offered by charities with no expertise or qualifications to run such games. Current law allows charities to run card games but not tournaments.
It has been suggested the charity games ought to be conducted under the auspices of a licensed entity using licensed dealers only, and that any proceeds need to be assuredly forwarded to a bona fide charity. This would not entail a statutory change, but amounts to a clarification for enforcement purposes.
Further, new tournament formats are being considered that would allow for progressive play, where the winner of a local tournament could advance to a regional, then state and perhaps even a national tournament. Current law does not allow for tournament advancement to be considered as a legitimate prize.
New regulations are also being considered to allow tournaments to be conducted away from a licensee's premise when a larger facility is required to accommodate a large numbers of entrants. Higher total tournament purses and pot limits are also being examined.
MTA's Staples said he felt there was accord for "about 95 percent" of the subcommittee's draft report, but that more discussion and work was needed, even within the associations representing various operators.
Huntington said he thought needed revisions could be accomplished with just one legislative bill to "generally revise poker rules."