Concerns were voiced over holding Texas Hold’em tournaments at private bars during the last meeting of the outgoing St. Mary’s County Alcohol Beverage Board Thursday afternoon.
Board Administrator Patricia Insley said she was inundated with phone calls over the issue.
The callers apparently voiced concern when the St. Mary’s County Emergency Friendly Fund organized their tournament at the Brass Rail in Great Mills, Feb. 23. The event was sponsored by The Fraternal Order of the Orioles.
“Money changing hands that is not going to the charities is a major issue,” board chair Al Babcock told The Bay Net.
Board attorney Joann Wood earlier allayed the fears and said an inquiry revealed the profits made during the tournament and the bank deposits matched to the penny.
Insley had demanded Wood to explain to her the exact legal status and procedures of the Texas Hold’em tournaments that are traditionally held to raise funds for local charities, and organizations such as volunteer fire departments, fraternal order of police, American Legion, Elks Lodge.
Babcock said the concerns mainly pertained to liquor establishments.
The February event did help the Brass Rail bar pull crowds in record numbers, possibly inviting envy of the bar owner’s business rivals.
George Kelsea, inspector of the board, spoke for the first time and asked Wood if she had a list of the charitable organizations that are allowed to organize the event. Insley also wanted to know if these charitable organizations have to be a 501 (c) or not. Wood responded there’s no fixed list and that any charitable organization can hold a similar tournament.
Maryland State Attorney in an opinion last year said a poker tournament that awards prizes would not involve illegal gambling so long as the participants do not pay any money or other valuable consideration, directly or indirectly, in order to participate in the tournaments at any level.
Wood explained this ruling of the attorney general to the board. She explained that State’s Attorney Richard Fritz also endorsed the same idea and saw no harm in the tournament being organized at a bar as long as a charity handles the monetary dealings.
Wood said there was nothing wrong in holding the tournament at a bar so long as the bar owner or employees do not partake in it. “There are strict regulations,” she said.
Wood said that the tournaments being used to pull in crowds was okay, but if a bar is anyway found to be pocketing the profits they would face a citation.
SDFC Emory Johnson said other than charitable organizations the Volunteer Fire Departments, Moose Lodge and Fraternal Order organizations are also permitted to organize Texas Hold’em tournaments. If it’s not a charitable organization they may be charged with fraud, Johnson said.
Johnson told the board that receipts from the profits made from the tournaments and the amounts deposited in banks have to match exactly.
Insley told the board she has been deluged with phone calls from concerned people who were interested in knowing what’s actually going on.
Many feel Babcock and other board members had done a nice job over the last four years, but since the appointments are political in nature the change of governor means they will have to pack up when their term expires April 1.
“It’s sad the current bo