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NEW
ORLEANS -- The poker craze triggered by cable TV's
coverage of the game has led some Louisiana bars to host
"Texas Holdem" tournaments, putting them on a collision
course with state liquor regulators.
Both sides
say the dispute, which turns on the question of whether
the bars are profiting from unlicensed, illegal
gambling, likely will have to be settled in court.
The
bars contend their "Texas Holdem" events are legal
because bar owners are not taking a cut of the pots. But
the state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control contends
that because the bars sell more drinks during the
tournaments, they are, in essence, engaged in a gambling
business.
Alcohol and Tobacco Commissioner Murphy Painter said a
crackdown planned to start around Nov. 1 could result in
bar owners facing liquor license revocations and
criminal charges.
Five
bars in Baton Rouge and Jefferson Parish that host poker
tournaments are prepared to sue the moment they receive
expected warning letters from the state, said attorney
Joseph Long of Baton Rouge, who represents the owners.
Long
said bars started hosting poker tournaments to boost
business on slow nights. The tournaments are no
different in structure from the pool tournaments and
bowling tournaments held in establishments with bars, he
said.
"If
the ATC has its way, the (PGA) golf tournament in New
Orleans cannot be held, bowling tournaments would be
illegal, pool tournaments would be illegal, any
tournament would be illegal if a bar owner made money
selling concessions," Long said. "This has never been
the law in Louisiana."
In
Louisiana, most forms of gambling are not illegal as
long as all the money put in by players goes for prizes.
Long said bar owners are not taking a cut or charging
players for a spot at the poker table.
"They just hope someone will buy a Coke or a beer while
they are playing," Long said.
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