There seemed to be an increase in the light at the end of the tunnel for poker players when South Carolina Representative Wallace Scarborough introduced a bill that would reverse a 200 year old law making card and dice games illegal. Scarborough drafted the bill after hearing about a police raid of a poker game in Mt. Pleasant, SC in which a 79 year old woman was arrested. He believes a friendly “kitchen-table” game of cards should certainly be legal.
The bill was passed through a sub-committee some months ago, but unfortunately was sent back to a House panel today. What this means for the bill, and consequently for poker in South Carolina, is that there is no way it can be passed within the year.
There is obviously a complex legal code involving poker these days, and although this bill was sent back it provides hope for the future. The number of people fighting for poker seems to be increasing and soon we may see more of these bills passing through the House walls of their respective states. Then with a little luck, and in the long-run some skill, a bill legalizing poker will be passed through the federal legislature.