Why is it acceptable to lose money to the casinos and the state of Florida but not to your friends? The answer to that question is because the Florida Legislature said so and because they can’t make money off their friends. Florida Statutes 849.01, state in part:
“Who by himself or himself, … maintains a table or gaming room, … or a house, … for the purpose of gambling or gambling or in any place from which he or she has direct or indirectly the control, or administration, … allows any person to gamble for money or other valuable thing in any game, … will be guilty of a felony of the third degree “, punishable by up to five years in prison.
The state does not limit gambling to card games and slot machines. Gambling includes and is not limited to betting on billiards or pool games, horse racing, and sporting events. Florida, in its abundant hypocrisy, allows gambling in a casino operated under the Seminole Gaming Compact. In April, the Florida Senate passed the Seminole Gaming Compact, which authorizes slot machines and table games, which requires the tribe to share an estimated $ 400 million a year in revenue with the state.
The state of Florida makes money with smaller organizations known as arcades. A card room is a facility where authorized games are played for money or anything of value and to which the public is invited to participate in such games and the operator of that facility charges a fee for participation. To operate one of these card rooms, you have to pay a license, employee labor fees, a tax for each person who enters, and a tax on gross monthly income.
Recently, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI), which is a 14-agency federal, state, and local law enforcement task force, raided a local facility that doubled as a slot machine gambling house. The business offered a $ 3,000 prize but the winner was predetermined and not based on playing time. According to the MBI, they will be charged with extortion, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, operating a slot machine and maintaining a gambling house. MBI claims to be a moral guardian and protect its citizens from gambling, but they are aware that legislators, judges, and law enforcement officers have friendly poker games, office groups, and routine gambling between them.
There is an exception to the gambling laws that allows a person to host a game. A game is allowed when any player’s winnings in a single round, hand or game do not exceed $ 10 in value. It is hypocritical for the state to limit the amount you can bet on a private game, but not limit the amount you can spend on lottery, horse racing, jai-alais, or casinos.
So why exactly is the state banning poker parties in the privacy of your own home? Is it because of a moral problem with the game? That cannot be true as they are promoting gambling in casinos run by the Seminole Gaming Act. Additionally, the state spends more than $ 3 million a year just advertising and promoting the state lottery in an effort to induce Florida citizens to gamble even more. Obviously, this is not a moral issue, but rather a greed, as the state of Florida cannot get into your pockets when you play with family or friends. Let’s just identify this nonsense for what it is instead of hiding behind a fabricated morality and denying the truth.
