Conn. agency agrees on poker promo ban

August 27

In Connecticut, The state agency that regulates legalized gambling is also supporting Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's statement that barroom poker tournaments are illegal.

The state Division of Special Revenue released a statement Wednesday after receiving many questions.

They state that they received so many calls from bar owners that they felt they had an obligation to let the people know what they actually thought about the situation.

The statement cited both criminal laws and state-tribal agreements that grant Connecticut's two Indian casinos the exclusive right to run almost every commercial game, including poker.

The repeal of the so-called Las Vegas Nights law in January 2003 was also part of that effort, said Bernstein. Those laws allowed nonprofit groups and churches to use games, including poker, to raise money for a cause.

Blumenthal welcomed the statement, although he said the ban had nothing to do with tribal concerns. He simply stated that a criminal law that prohibits any form of gambling in which the participants do not have any type of real social relationship.