PPA Statement on South Carolina Supreme Court Ruling

Washington, DC (November 21, 2012) John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, issued the following statement upon today's action by the South Carolina Supreme Court reversing a state circuit court ruling that five South Carolina citizens did not violate state laws when they held a Texas Hold Em game in a private residence. "We are quite disappointed that the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that games of skill, such as poker, even when played in a private residence are illegal under state law. Yet, there are several silver linings to this ruling that bring hope to the poker community. First, the court clearly agrees that poker is a game of skill, not chance. There have now been a total of seven South Carolina judges to consider this issue, and all have either ruled directly that poker is a game of skill or accepted the other judges rulings. While this distinction was ultimately found to be irrelevant under South Carolina law based on how the state statute is written, it is an important point as other states and the Federal government evaluates the definition of gambling. Second, the court was clear that a house used as a place of gaming means a place where gaming regularly occurs. While this can include a private residence, it does so only if gaming occurs there regularly in some organized fashion. A casual poker game is therefore legal. Third, Chief Justice Jean Toal as well as two other justices believe that the statute as written is overly vague and woefully outdated. As written, playing any game with cards or dice in South Carolina be it Monopoly or Bunco or bridge regardless of whether wagering occurs is technically illegal under this 1806 statute. The Chief Justice explicitly called on the state legislature to change this. While we appreciate the Chief Justices request to update the existing law, we are disappointed that her main justification for siding with the majority was concern that invalidating the law would open the door to video poker in the state. In fact, there are several other statutes that strictly prohibit video poker in South Carolina, protecting citizens and addressing the Chief Justices concerns. The PPA will take the ruling to heart and work diligently with state lawmakers to ensure that legislation is developed and introduced in the 2013 legislative session to update and clarify the laws on gambling in South Carolina so that that citizens have the right to enjoy a game of skill like Texas Hold Em in the privacy of their own home.

About The Poker Players Alliance

The Poker Players Alliance (www.theppa.org) is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of over 1,200,000 online and offline poker players and enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and to protect poker players' rights.