Update on 2006 SC Poker Player Arrests

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Update on 2006 SC Poker Player Arrests

January 7, 2007, from the Associated Press

A longtime ban on poker playing in the state of South Carolina will soon be under the legislative microscope if state Representative Wallace Scarborough of Charleston has his way. The state lawmaker wants to revamp South Carolina's gambling laws to legalise in-house poker games, and is busy drafting legislation to permit the games as long as they are done under the heading of "recreational activity." The bill, still in the early stages of development, would be part of an overall effort to update the state's 200-year-old gaming laws, which some say technically prohibits card and dice games and even some common board games like Monopoly. Scarborough called the restrictions "ridiculous, considering we live in a modern era."

Last year 22 poker players were arrested in Mt. Pleasant SC for gambling in a home game.

"The law was basically set in place way back in 1802 because of the morality of the times," said Robert Chimento, one of the players. According to the Associated Press, the law as written, he said, makes even the child's game “Chutes and Ladders” illegal. "Times have changed ... and this law needs to be changed.”

Eighteen of 22 people arrested in April 2006 during a police raid on a poker game have asked for a jury trial. The remaining four defendants pleaded guilty before Municipal Judge David Michel and were ordered to pay fines of $100 each. Two of those were from out of town.

The players say the game was a friendly get-together, but authorities contend the house operated a “high-stakes” poker parlor that advertised games on the Internet. Police said players paid a $20 buy-in to play with a percentage of proceeds going to the house. $6000 in cash was seized during the arrest. Over $1900 of this amount was taken from the game’s 28-year-old host Nathan (Nate) Starling.

Even a little old lady was nabbed. "It is really ridiculous because there are much larger games going on," said 78-year-old Amelia "Midge" Cheseborough. She was playing when the cops came in.

Paul Thurman is the attorney for Nathan Starling who has since vacated the home and moved. Starling pled guilty to operating a gambling establishment Friday, January 5 in a deal that cost him $747 in fines and court costs but lets him avoid jail time.

Frank Cornely of Charleston and David Wolf of Charleston represent the 17 remaining defendants. They and the town are trying to settle the case rather than go to trial.

For the town of Mt. Pleasant, Ira Grossman is handling the prosecution. None of the defendant’s attorneys or Ira Grossman would return calls to TPJ to confirm or deny a settlement.

Some SC players formed an organization in response to the arrests, SCOPE. Website: http://scopeonline.org/. Since the arrests, Charleston had what is claimed by SCOPE organizer John Ridgeway to be the first successful legal poker tournament in SC. On June 24, 2006, at the North Charleston Convention Center, SCOPE members organized a $20 buy in with donated prizes in the form of plaques donated for top 6. None of proceeds were used to buy any of prizes. There were no cash prizes.
The West Virginia Legislature also has gaming on its agenda, and will be considering whether or not to have a statewide vote to legalize table games at racetracks. The current bill under consideration only requires the four counties that have racetracks to vote, but others want to make it a statewide issue.