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Province Warns About Poker Tournaments
In Canada, one Canadian province has declared open season on poker
tournaments. The Manitoba Gaming Commission continues to crack down on bars
and restaurants that hold Texas Hold’Em tournaments and encourage their
patrons to take part. The version of poker is currently the most popular
type of poker to be played in casinos, and continues to grow in popularity.
It has become a spectator sport that is watched by millions every week in
televised event such as the World Poker Tour, as well as the annual World
Series of Poker. International tournaments and celebrity games also draw
huge audiences worldwide. Over the months of December and January, Coyotes
night club in Winnipeg has packed hundreds of players into the premises to
take part in Texas Hold’Em tournaments.
Owner Cary Paul ended the tournaments on February 8th, however, when he was
notified by the Manitoba Gaming Commission that his tournaments were
illegal. Paul claims that the ruling and warning is very small minded on the
part of the government. He points out that the prize for the tournament
would have been a seat in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas (worth
$10,000), and that no one was being swindled in the tournament. Paul also
claims that his tournament did not violate any stipulations of the Criminal
Code in matters pertaining to gaming. He says that bars and restaurants
across the province are holding similar events.
Coyotes was the first bar in Manitoba to be warned to desist with holding
the popular tournaments, but Manitoba Gaming Commission spokesperson Andrea
Kowal says it is far from the only establishment under suspicion. Other
investigations into bar and restaurant poker tournaments throughout the
province are underway. She claims that most of the investigations have taken
place after a complaint by a patron of the bars or restaurants, and even
claims that in some cases the owner of the establishment themselves were the
ones to notify the authorities of the events. She says that proprietors did
so in order to ensure that their events were not illegal.
Kowal says that any establishment that charges an entry fee, offers a large
prize, and stands to gain from running a poker tournament is breaking the
law. The Gaming Control Commission is currently considering if it will allow
charities to run poker tournaments, but don’t start organizing yet, as a
decision will not be likely until later in the autumn.
In the meantime, Coyotes owner Casey Paul is already making plans to team up
with a charity so he can hold another tournament after the decision has been
made.
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