High Stakes Poker Home Game Raided In North Carolina

Eight poker playing buddies got a surprise home visit by North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement officers on Thursday, who then proceeded to arrest them and confiscate their assets.
Many states in the US allow social gambling as long as no entry fees are collected or any entry fees taken are  paid out as winnings.
However, many US states will not tolerate any social gambling whatsoever, including Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. And, of course, North Carolina.
The eight men arrested were therefore deemed to be in violation of North Carolina’s gambling laws, and as well as their poker table, cards and chips being seized, $23,700 in cash was also taken away.
Commenting on the incident, the Director of Alcohol Law Enforcement, John Ledford said:
“After receiving multiple complaints from members of the public regarding the illegal games ALE agents promptly investigated. High stakes card games like this one are illegal in the state, and I commend our agents and officers with the Mt. Olive Police Department for taking action.”
The eight men arrested were named as Robert Davenport Jr, Prentice Newsome, Harold Newcomb, Kay Smith, John Smith, Frankie Walker, Edward Walters and Ernest Vinson.
In what is likely to be yet another high profile poker debate, the men will now have to answer their case in front of a North Carolina court, possibly with some assistance from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). As Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz explains:
“This is going to be another case where a judge is going to have to rule on the game of poker and determine whether it is skill or luck. In North Carolina, previous cases have indicated that poker is illegal, but with no clear determination, this could be another case that ends up before a judge to decide whether the game is skill or luck.”