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Heads Up, Texas!

Comments (6)
by , Mar 6, 2007 | 12:05 am

I’ll post a press release later, but I figured Pokerati readers should be the first to know that a real, true poker bill will likely be filed in the Texas House on Tuesday!

Here are the Highlights:
-4 live and/or electronic, raked tables allowed in each establishment that meets requirements
-Lottery Commission decides how many tables are allowed in each racetrack
-Charitable poker enabled
-Mandatory dealer training and licensing (inexpensive)
-Licensing for distributors of commercial poker equipment
-Money raised will be dedicated to necessary state services
-Criminal penalties for dishonest operators

The bill will be tweaked as we go along, so if you read it and have a concern don’t panic- please let me know via email. Your support is appreciated.
When it is filed and available online I’ll link to it.

More to come…


  • http://mailto:danmpokerati.com DanM

    Dude, Mike, this is great to hear. Well done helping pull this all together. Seems a step in the right direction.

  • http://mailto:danmpokerati.com DanM

    OK, like you said, not to panic … but:

    Sec. 2004.453. TABLE LIMITS. Table limits for each poker gaming table shall be established by the licensed operator. A single wager may not exceed $20 per player per betting incident in a poker game. The licensed operator may conduct tournaments at any time and charge a buy-in fee not to exceed $100 and a tournament registration fee not to exceed $30.

    Is this the provision you were telling me about that already has some change in progress?

  • http://mailto:danmpokerati.com DanM

    And sorry, I swear I won’t pepper you with line-item questions, but …

    **-Lottery Commission decides how many tables are allowed in each racetrack**

    The Lottery Commission and not the Racing Commission? Is that a typo or purposeful part of the plan?

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  • http://www.texaspokerpac.com Lavigne in Austin

    yes, the limits are slated to come out at this point. The Lottery Commission was intentional and not a typo. They have more experience overseeing this sort of thing.

    also, due to logistical and non political reasons- the bill may have to wait for Wednesday.We. are. so. close!

  • Michael Z

    Sounds like they are taking a step in teh right direction. This is akin to what Florida has in the indian casinos, limits on wagers but the most money is generated via Tournaments.