It’s no surprise that more and more watering holes are getting into the poker biz, especially given the rage known as Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments. The problem, some are finding, is the oft-fuzzy line between illegal gambling and licensed raffling. One Colorado bar & grill is taking the chance — forgive me — that its fundraisers are not illegal raffles, according to this article. In Colorado three elements must exist for a game to be considered gambling — payment, luck and prize. The sticking point is usually the “prize.” If the proceeds are going to charity, is there really a prize?
Sometimes the odds of winning a “prize” are so remote, one wonders whether the raffling effort is more “false advertising” than “gambling”: the state lottery.
Cary Wiggins on the Web