Police raid illegal poker halls -

Eight illegal gambling operations were broken up when detectives burst into the poker dens that officials said rake in illegal profits while fueling gambling addictions on Long Island, Suffolk District Attorney ...

[getmetheswan]

fueling gambling addictions? loan sharks and criminals?

How about Newsday gets a reporter who actually understands the game to write these pieces?

I've played in some of the card clubs in NYC over the past few years and they are more akin to social clubs than anything else. People go there to relax, to see familiar faces, to improve their game, and because it's far more convenient to walk into a card room than to organise home games - which are legal. You'll find these places populated with city lawyers and bankers, IT professionals, gym managers and restaurant owners. Not quite the seedy underground Mr Spota would have everyone believe.

People play cards every day throughout the US for fun and enjoyment. They watch it on TV and read about it in the papers. They aren't crack addicts or members of the Cosa Nostra. Marketing poker players as diseased and criminal is silly and offensive.

NY state needs to wake up and follow California's footsteps by making it legal to set up small card rooms. The state can then earn some tax revenue rather than waste it on needless police raids that junior rural DAs try to use to raise their profile.

But hey, I guess the Foxwoods & AC lobbyists don't want competition, and they are a lot more organised and spend a lot more money than your average poker playing Joe. Nothing will change. We'll be reading the same stories ten years from now.

[John Klein]

Too bad the police don't have anything better to do. Luckily they have no real crime in New York.

[skeptical]

This article claims that many bad things have happened to people who have attended these games, but substantiates none of its claims. People who become beholden to "loan sharks" because they want to play more and more may have problems, this we all recognize. Sending in Big Brother to keep me from making a choice of my own is not the answer. We're a country full of chi^$ensh*$ losers because we refuse to take responsibility for ourselves and play our own games. We love the old westerns in which the hero pushes all of his chips in, but we don't have the balls to do it ourselves anymore, so we applaud the policeman who helps the addict keep himself under control. I salute you my countrymen, chickens&*@ m%^herfu&^ers all. We fight because we fear.

[Raby760]

Last night I was playing poker in a club in Astoria, NY, when it got raided. I played there for the first time last week, and I went back with my friends last night. I love playing poker. I play on the internet, ps2, house games, and it is my sole reason for going to Atlantic City. I liked this illegal poker club because they were well organized and it was a good atmosphere. Everyone was really nice and cheerful. When I eliminated players in the poker tournament, then shook my hand, and we usually praised each other for good plays made. There were no drugs or alcohol there. Food and sodas were free. When the police raided the club, they had all of us sit down and keep our hands on the poker table. They took our IDs and ran a check for warrants, questioned us one at a time, and then released us players, with no charge. Needless to say, I didn't get my $60 buy-in back from the poker tournament. To be honest, I did not know that this club was illegal. I play poker so much that I didn't stop to think that the police might intrude on us doing something this harmless. If I knew that the NYPD could raid that club, then I wouldn't have been in there, because the last thing I want to do is to get in trouble with the law.

I am not blaming police officers for doing their job. They deserve our respect. The problem is the law and it's double standards. The law in NY says that Bingo is illegal, but churches get away with their games every Sunday. I'm an Atheist and I would never play Bingo. But, why don't police officers raid churches for doing the same thing? I guess if you believe in imaginary god then everything's ok because you are part of the club.