Bill Permitting Public Poker in the State of Texas is Being Considered

On April 2, 2007, a public hearing was conducted in Austin, Texas regarding a proposal that would allow poker to be played in public. The proposal is currently being discussed by the Texas House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, which will have the final say on whether or not it will be passed.

The proposed bill is sponsored by Democrat Representative, Jose Menendez, from San Antonio, Texas. The bill will also allow for the expansion of gambling in duly licensed public businesses, which would then carefully regulate gambling to ensure fairness and equality, especially to the games' customers and would officially grant poker recognition as a game of skill, not luck, in the state of Texas.

If the proposed bill passes through the committee and receives enough votes to be officially considered a law, 2 types of licenses for poker gaming will be available, which are both charitable licenses. An operation license given to the establishment would need to be legally binding so that it could accommodate both commercial and charity poker games. A commercial license would only allow 4 poker table games at a time.

The majority of the Pari-Mutuel establishments would be permitted to host more poker tables, although the exact number of poker tables has not been decided yet. If approved, the proposed bill will also allow electronic poker tables, like the PokerPro touch screen table. In addition, the proposed bill will allow for $100 prize poker tournaments with a buy-in cost of about $30.

Casino table stakes depend on the individual operator. The taxes that could be generated from the game will be used for different noteworthy causes, like benefits for the homeless residents in the area, shelters, medical help and more.

April 26, 2007
William Atkins