South Carolina Revises Poker Laws

May 13, 2009 - Written By Glen

South Carolina has, for several hundred years, a silly law that inhibits different sort of games. Under this audacious law, games such as Go Fish, Solitaire, and Hearts are actually illegal. According to the law, any game involving dice or cards is outlawed. South Carolina legislature has realized the stupidity of these laws and is attempting to change them.

The current session in the Senate ends within another week, so this will not be an immediate Bill. State lawmakers would be focusing on alleviating restrictions on poker, particularly Hold 'Em. This law would allow residents to play different games for money as long as the house does not take a rake, or a portion of the pot.

This new legislature is meant to separate the good from the bad, the heavy gambler to the amateur having fun with his or her friends. Legislatures realize we are in a new time, and a 200 year old law prohibiting something as simple as a game of Monopoly needs to be repealed entirely or changed to allow different things. A State Senator was quoted saying "This is to separate the criminal gambler from a person who just wants to play cards with some friends."

With any luck, this will push Poker out of the legal gray area.