North Carolina vetoes poker bill

The governor of North Carolina decided to veto a charity poker bill over concerns about video poker.

US.- Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina, vetoed a bill that intended to legalise charity-run gambling in the state. The measure included poker games, but the official rejected it as he’s against machine gambling.

Whilst the law cleared the House by 76-32, and the Senate by 27-15, Cooper said that “legitimising charitable gambling in this way could give video poker a new way to infiltrate our communities.” Moreover, he believes that allowing the industry to masquerade as a charity could cause unintended permits to be issued, and without tough criminal penalties, enforcement would be difficult. The bill established that game night events could have been allowed, including roulette, blackjack and craps.

Nevertheless, no games could have been played for cash prizes, as Card Player reported, but they would have been allowed only through a gaggle with chips exchangeable for tickets. Despite the fact that the bill was rejected because it looked like gambling, according to the governor, the state still features two casinos and lottery services.