Texas Holdem fundraiser for LSF

[Michael Fisher]

Maybe the NH underground should be on a server in the Free State!? Since he.net wasn't willing to do domain aliasing, getting lsfund.org on their server doesn't look good.

I can help organize this one, not sure how much impact I can have on other events until I get my butt up to NH.

I don't really know of any affordable and reputable hosting companies in New Hampshire.  There's one in Manchester but I don't know their name or how much they cost.

What's your timeline to come here?  We could organize events closer to where you live if you want.

[KBCraig]

New state controls are in place, making sure that no one plays poker without state approval.

Since when is poker a "game of chance"? Poker has always been regarded as a game of skill. The element of chance is no more relevant to the outcome  of a poker game, than the element of chance is relevant to the outcome of football or baseball.

Kevin

http://unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=State+raises+stakes+on+charity+gambling&articleId=2ea423dc-28c8-4f63-a0c5-1e2a252bf540

State raises stakes on charity gambling

By JOHN WHITSON
Union Leader Staff

The idea that New Hampshire has restricted gambling to racetracks and lottery tickets, standing fast against a tidal wave of gaming, is quaint.

It?s also inaccurate.

There are legal poker games every day of the year all over the state, with thousands of dollars in prize money to be had.

?Of course there is gambling,? said Richard Bouley, a lobbyist who represents the gaming industry. ?It?s just not on a large scale.?

The popularity growth of poker nationwide in recent years ? particularly Texas Hold ?Em ? triggered a change in state law that took effect Wednesday and transferred oversight authority from municipal police departments to the state Pari-Mutuel Commission.

Paul Kelley, the commission?s director, said the change will bring all games of chance under one jurisdictional roof. The commission already oversees racetrack wagering and bingo. ?With (poker) there was no state oversight,? he said.

State Rep. Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, was the prime sponsor of House Bill 1744. In addition to jurisdictional changes, the law establishes a variety of rules that now govern poker games.

The biggest change is a mandate that at least 35 percent of all money generated by poker and casino nights, after prizes are doled out, must go to the sponsor charity.

?We very much wanted to protect the charities,? said Weyler, ?supervise the games and make sure they were fair. It?s not the wild west with Texas Hold ?Em any more.?

Games of chance in New Hampshire have long been restricted to charity events, but prior to Wednesday there was no regulation on how much, or how little, poker games run by so-called ?solicitors? turned over to charity each night.

In fiscal year 2006, which ended June 30, 362 applications for games of chance were approved, said Audrey Blodgett, a paralegal with the charitable trust unit of the Attorney General?s Office. Some games were one-night events, but they all had the legal right to run for 10 days.

?It significantly increased about three years ago,? she said, ?when the Travel Channel and Bravo started televising Texas Hold ?Em.?

Along with 501-C3 nonprofits, veterans and fraternal organizations, churches, police and fire associations are allowed to sponsor games of chance

Blodgett said gross revenue from the games ranges from $1,800 to $22,000 per night.

Charities are limited to 10 days each year to be involved with poker tournaments and ?Monte Carlo? nights which involve other games of chance such as roulette wheels and blackjack.

Charities can get a location, rent equipment, advertise and, if required by municipal law, hire police. Or, they can turn over all those details to one of seven game solicitors registered with the Attorney General?s Office.

Those solicitors set up the games and, because state law requires members of the sponsoring charity to actually run the games, train people how to deal cards and run roulette wheels.

?A lot of your charities wouldn?t know what to do if this wasn?t available,? said Bouley. ?They?d really be in trouble. Certainly we want the charities to make their money, but the bills have got to be paid.?

?I think they?re going to put us out of business,? said Roland Bernatchez, co-owner of New Hampshire Poker. ?I won?t survive unless business increases dramatically.?

N.H. Poker started hosting games in March 2005 at Mark?s Showplace in Bedford, but this year has been at The Yard restaurant in Manchester three nights a week. The group also travels to charity halls and other venues to run the games.

Unloading equipment Thursday afternoon at The Yard for a tournament to benefit Prayer Hall, Bernatchez said that on a good night he may gross $3,000 through entry fees and betting, which is restricted to $2 per play.

Since Manchester requires it, a police officer must be hired each night at about $40 per hour. Poker tournaments often run from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., so police detail alone cuts $400 out of the pot, he said. After paying rent to The Yard, paying employees and other expenses, Bernatchez said he often doesn?t walk away with much.

Before Wednesday, N.H. Poker used a contract that guaranteed charities 10 percent of nightly gross or 20 percent of the net, whichever was the larger figure. After the charity?s money is factored out, 50 percent of the remainder goes to the night?s top player.

?We have had shows where we?ve paid the charity $1,500 and lost money,? said Bernatchez.

Bumping the charity take to 35 percent after prizes is simply unrealistic, he said. Expenses are fixed, he said, and reducing prize money would mean fewer customers.

Members of Friends of Grizzlies Wrestling were dealing out cards for Texas Hold ?Em at three tables Thursday afternoon at Amoskeag Bingo Center in Manchester. Tri-State Gaming Consultants recently bought the facility, which is split in half ? bingo on one side, poker on the other.

?Bingo is still king,? said Kenneth Donoghue, manager of Sharkey?s Poker Room at the bingo center. ?But poker hasn?t even come close to reaching its potential.?

Wednesday night bingo draws 300 people, he said, while an average night at Sharkey?s attracts about 100. The poker room, however, is open six days a week and plans to expand to seven.

Donoghue acknowledged he sometimes seeks out charities to host the events, but repeat business and referrals often come to him. The demand is so high, he said, that Sharkey?s is booked in 10-day blocks through Sept. 14.

The new requirement that 35 percent of a game?s take after prizes must go to the sponsor charity won?t change things at Sharkey?s, vowed Donoghue. He said the games have been operating right around that figure anyway.

?The minimum we?ve ever raised for charity, I want to say, is $4,000 (over a 10-day period),? he said.

But his group hasn?t always hit the 35 percent mark now required by law.

Last year, Tri-State Gaming hosted 10 days of poker at Scoreboard Sports Lounge in Portsmouth to benefit Club Mont Royal in Manchester. According to documents on file at the Attorney General?s Office, revenue totaled $95,435 and $58,434 in prizes were awarded.

After Tri-State?s expenses were paid, the club walked away with $7,784. That?s not bad for 10 days of play, and it?s nearly double Donoghue?s $4,000 baseline figure. But Club Mont Royal?s money represents just 21 percent of revenue after prizes, and would be considered illegal under current law.

In a worst-case scenario, records show the Greater Manchester Lodge of Elks 146 actually lost $5,003 from nine days of Texas Hold ?Em last year. Revenue from those games, run by Granite State Fundraising of Nashua, peaked the first night at $1,790 and bottomed out at $130 before the 10th night of games was canceled.

?We had planned it as a fundraiser and it was not successful at all,? said Jean Pelletier, a former lodge trustee. Any money raised was to go to ?a camp up north for underprivileged children,? he said.

Pelletier said people simply didn?t come out to play. Attempts to reach Granite State Fundraising for comment were unsuccessful.

[KBCraig]

http://unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=NH+poker%3aRed+tape+ends+game+for+charities&articleId=04185121-1d9e-43a7-b3d5-3f1a7e251ad1

NH poker:Red tape ends game for charities
By JOHN WHITSON
Union Leader Staff

Concord ? The new state law regulating games of chance -- primarily aimed at Texas Hold 'Em poker -- came under fire from a packed house of people representing charitable organizations yesterday.

The law transfers oversight of the games from municipalities to the Pari-Mutuel Commission, and yesterday's session was held to outline new rules and responsibilities.

Many of the 150 people in the Department of Health and Human Services auditorium said the law asks too much of small organizations composed primarily of volunteers.

"That's the end of Texas Hold 'Em as far as the Bedford Men's Club is concerned," said Bill Burns, the group's treasurer. "It's way too burdensome. What it means is that anybody who wants to comply with the rules will have to go to professional gaming operators."

The law requires organizations to complete a nearly 20-page application to get a license, which allows them to hold games of chance 10 days per year.

Criminal background checks are required for every member of an organization, such as a Lion's Club or an American Legion post, who volunteers to help with the event, including people serving food and drinks.

Two passport-style photos must also be submitted by each person involved from a charity. Charities must now pay the state $25 per night for the games -- a $250 charge for 10 days of games -- when previously there was a one-time $25 charge to local police departments. Game expenses must also be drawn from a charity's checking account established solely for that purpose.

"Are you actually telling me that for my 10 poker games I have to have a separate checkbook?" asked Susan MacNeil, executive director of AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region. "That's insane."

MacNeil lamented having to resort to gambling to remain solvent, and complained that the new law penalizes the wrong people.

"You should have been going after the unscrupulous dealers," said MacNeil, addressing Pari-Mutuel Commission Director Paul Kelley and other state officials directing the session.

"This is incredibly onerous for a small organization," said MacNeil. "I think it's outrageous."

Kelley repeatedly told the crowd that he and commission gaming inspectors now charged with enforcement are simply carrying out the will of the state Legislature.

The law requires that at least 35 percent of all gross proceeds from a gaming event go to the sponsoring charity after prizes are paid.

Some charities choose to hold their own fund-raising events, while many turn to professional gaming consultants -- there are seven licensed in New Hampshire -- to advertise and stage the games.

"We're trying to ensure as much money as possible goes to charities," said Kelley.

Burns said his members considered hiring a gaming consultant for three nights of poker held over the past two years, but decided they'd be better off financially going it alone.

"We did a heck of a lot better than 35 percent," he said. "We all had fun, (the gamblers) had fun, and we gave it all away."

Kelley assured the crowd that the Pari-Mutuel Commission will honor all games of chance authorized by chiefs of police prior to July 19, when the law took effect.

While Texas Hold 'Em has emerged in recent years as the most popular form of charity gambling, the law also regulates games such as craps, black jack and roulette.

State Rep. Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, primary sponsor of the measure, said lawmakers had to put safeguards such as background checks into the law to appease the "anti-gambling crowd."

"It may be harder on the smaller, than the larger (charities), but hopefully that will all be worked out," said Weyler. "Everything's a compromise."

State Rep. Hector Velez, D-Manchester, asked people in the crowd unhappy with the legislation to "look in the mirror."

Velez said lobbyists and gaming consultants attended a few public sessions when the language was being crafted, but just one charity group showed up.

Those comments drew a hot response from several people who said they weren't notified of the legislative sessions and that, even if they had been, they would have had to take time off from work to attend.

Concord lobbyist Richard Bouley told the crowd it still has two avenues to make changes to the law.

An 11-member commission to study the legislation will soon be established, he said, and two of its members must represent charities. Also, the games of chance rules are now labeled "interim." They expire Jan. 21, 2007, and will be superseded by rules that go into effect for eight years.

"If we don't like some of the things (in the law), we need to change it," said Bouley. "We need to contact our legislators."

[Lloyd Danforth]

Good CD opportunity

[Dreepa]

http://unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=NH+poker%3aRed+tape+ends+game+for+charities&articleId=04185121-1d9e-43a7-b3d5-3f1a7e251ad1


State Rep. Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, primary sponsor of the measure, said lawmakers had to put safeguards such as background checks into the law to appease the "anti-gambling crowd."

"It may be harder on the smaller, than the larger (charities), but hopefully that will all be worked out," said Weyler. "Everything's a compromise."

State Rep. Hector Velez, D-Manchester, asked people in the crowd unhappy with the legislation to "look in the mirror."

Velez said lobbyists and gaming consultants attended a few public sessions when the language was being crafted, but just one charity group showed up.

Those comments drew a hot response from several people who said they weren't notified of the legislative sessions and that, even if they had been, they would have had to take time off from work to attend.

Thanks RINO!.

But Hector makes a good point.  The leg doesn't have to notify you of squat.  This is going to be HUGE for liberty fans.  I mean we have people scouring every new bill.  Hopefull nothing will slip past us.  One thing that will need to be worked out for next year is that we need to call other groups to fight with us on particular bills that interest them.

[KBCraig]

State Rep. Hector Velez, D-Manchester, asked people in the crowd unhappy with the legislation to "look in the mirror."

Velez said lobbyists and gaming consultants attended a few public sessions when the language was being crafted, but just one charity group showed up.

Man... reminds me of some thieves I've had to deal with, who justified their theft by blaming the victim for not securing the goods. "Man, it was sitting right there with the keys in it. It's not my fault!"

Thieves of goods and thieves of liberty share their sociopathy. It's never their fault; they have no choice; if only the victim had done the right thing... 

Kevin

[Eli]

Not sure how this is going, but I did see some articles on a good wordpress blog about some activity in Nashua.  Does anyone know how this turned out?

City panel plays hold 'em with poker hall ban (Nashua, NH)
July 19th, 2007 • No Comments
"Charitable gambling is licensed by the state. It has been legal in New Hampshire for 10 years, but a change in the law last year allowed charities to hire a professional company to run the games.
The cost of running the poker games, including rent and salaries, would be paid out of the company's 65 percent take. Charities would receive 35 percent of the profits.
Under state law, an individual charity could be the recipient of gaming proceeds for up to 10 days a year. Rafferty's company proposes lining up 35 charities so that the poker games could be held nearly all year long.
Rafferty said the games would raise at least $1,000 a day for the charities, or a total of $10,000 for each organization. He now has 15 charities lined up, and representatives of many of them spoke against the ordinance that would prohibit the gambling downtown."

Nashua Telegraph (07/18/07)
http://pokercares.wordpress.com/2007/07/19/city-panel-plays-hold-%e2%80%99em-with-poker-hall-ban-nashua-nh/
Legal: Alderman not convinced gambling belongs downtown (Nashua, NH)
July 9th, 2007 • No Comments
"Marc Plamondon isn't sure that bringing charity poker games to downtown Nashua is such a good idea.
Plamondon, the Ward 4 alderman, has proposed an ordinance that would prohibit gaming – except for bingo and Lucky 7's – in two downtown districts that stretch from Library Hill south to Otterson Street.
A company called New Hampshire Charitable Gaming is eying the former ArcLight store on West Pearl Street as a site for the games. The company looked at St. Stanislaus Hall but withdrew its plans because of neighborhood opposition.
A hearing on Plamondon's proposal will be held before the city Planning and Economic Development Committee on July 17."

Nashua Telegraph (07/08/07)
http://pokercares.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/legal-alderman-not-convinced-gambling-belongs-downtown-nashua-nh/

[JonM]

The Elks on the Daniel Webster Highway, just north of the overpass that is exit 2 of Route 3 have given up their hall for a poker room.  It runs 7 days a week and the last time I was there a week or two ago they were installing a roulette wheel.  The company who runs it is here: http://www.playnhpoker.com

[Russell Kanning]

How would you guys like to do this at next summers Burning Porcupine?