It's time for the R Word...

[TrvChBoy]

What about a prvate club with monthly membership fees? Seems like guys have been getting around the laws for years by having this type of setup. This results in no rake, but you still get your expenses covered. And hey, if the guys in your club want to play cards, that's their business.... You are just charging them club dues. Your lawyer buddy might be able to help you here.

Maybe you could call yourselves the "Rabbit Hunting Club of America".

[Small Fry]

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What about a prvate club with monthly membership fees? Seems like guys have been getting around the laws for years by having this type of setup. This results in no rake, but you still get your expenses covered. And hey, if the guys in your club want to play cards, that's their business.... You are just charging them club dues. Your lawyer buddy might be able to help you here.

Maybe you could call yourselves the "Rabbit Hunting Club of America".

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You, my friend, are a genius. Absolutely brilliant

[whisker]

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What about a prvate club with monthly membership fees? Seems like guys have been getting around the laws for years by having this type of setup. This results in no rake, but you still get your expenses covered. And hey, if the guys in your club want to play cards, that's their business.... You are just charging them club dues. Your lawyer buddy might be able to help you here.

Maybe you could call yourselves the "Rabbit Hunting Club of America".

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Just this weekend I stumbled across something that seems like this in Portland, OR.

http://www.portlandrounders.com/

They claim to be "a membership based semi-private club that is open to the public." Their schedule says they have games every night of the week. I have not checked them out yet, but plan to do so sometime soon. Interesting part of town though. Not the shadiest, but there are many other places I'd like to stumble around after dark with a pocket full of dough (cause of course I'd be a winner [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

And as a side note ... any other folks in the Portland area? I've heard rumors of some card clubs in the area, anybody know of any? Driving two hours to the coast for Live NL isn't the most feasible thing to do any given night.

[pfapfap]

That's probably a good idea if I ever move up to buying a building and setting up nightly games. As I was talking about where to take our game with a lawyer who plays in it, he was interested in helping me set up a corporation to shield myself a bit. If it ever moves to that level, I'll certainly be talking ahead of time with many people to minimize my risk.

But for now, really, I was more interested if in you'd play in the game with the rates I proposed. Does it seem fair?

[n.s.]

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But for now, really, I was more interested if in you'd play in the game with the rates I proposed. Does it seem fair?

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It's hard to imagine that anyone would object to those rates, especially if you are buying booze. I mean, most players are going to burn more than $2 or $5 worth of gas getting to game.

As far as the legality is concern, make it a "suggested donation" and make it technically optional - I would imagine that virtually everyone you would trust to invite to this game are cool enough that that they wouldn't be a douchebag over a lousy $5. A healthy dose of social pressure should be enough enforcement.

[whisker]

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That's probably a good idea if I ever move up to buying a building and setting up nightly games. As I was talking about where to take our game with a lawyer who plays in it, he was interested in helping me set up a corporation to shield myself a bit. If it ever moves to that level, I'll certainly be talking ahead of time with many people to minimize my risk.

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Hee Hee, ask Bernie (world com) if he feels a corporation helped him.... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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But for now, really, I was more interested if in you'd play in the game with the rates I proposed. Does it seem fair?

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Heck yea. If I am ever down your way on business (or pleasure), I'll be asking if I can drop into one of your games.

[Lottery Larry]

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Well, a "charging players" thread, anyway.

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No, it's a "sharing the expenses" discussion.

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I'm thinking of $2 off the top for those who buy-in to the $40 game, $5 off the top of the $100 game. Additionally, anyone who leaves with more than $200 kicks in another $5. Anyone who moves up games pays the additional $3.

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Why? It's not profit sharing, it's a shared expense. Everyone (INCLUDING you) should pay the same amount.


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and a stocked bar of hooch/soda. BYOB, but I have coolers and ice. Plenty of weed floating around.

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This is where you're steering towards trouble. You do not want to end up on the wrong side of your state liquor board, or the DEA (local or otherwise)


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How does this seem to people? I'd really like to charge the least amount that reasonably does what I need it to do.

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"need it to do" needs more clearly defined. You might want to re-examine whether "want" means "need"

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and give me some carrying around money.

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Now you're veering off into the underground cardroom weeds again.... not my recommendation.

The semi-private club idea was a bit intriguing, but can you limit access to just poker nights? Will the neighbors in the location's area have problems? What about security?

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can't just ask for money to cover the night's expenses, because I'm looking beyond that. There is economy in scale. I buy liquor by the case. And expenses fluctuate. Could be a new table one week, chairs the next, replacement cards, lighting fixtures, artwork, pinball machines, movie screen, etc.

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We had a similar thread about half a year ago, I think, where many argued against the willingness to pay for a palace that they don't get to keep as their own.
How high is this nightly expense fee going to be, to cover all of that?

[psandman]

Look, setting up a corporation doesn't shield you from criminal liability.

Every state statute that I have ever seen would treat a "paid membership" system no differently then any other scheme to make money from gambling activity.

The worst thing someone running an illegal gambling operation can do is to try to convince themselves and there players that what they are doing is legal. Understand that it is illegal, keep it low key, don't advertise openly, don't compete with legal businesses, and keep out players who can't use proper discretion about your operation.

When you pretend that it is legal then people talk to much, and then the neighborhood bar decides they are going to do the same thing and then a bunch of these spring up opnely and that attracts law enforcement attention to them and to you.

[TrvChBoy]

Here in Utah there were some card clubs that got around the gambling laws by charging fees for a preliminary tourney that paid no prizes, only an entry into a freeroll held on another day that had a substantial non-cash prize (like a big screen TV).

These places were full-bore commercial places that advertised. One of them was in business for over a year and might still be operating. The law did not have the energy to bother with bringing gambling charges, one of them was just hassled to death with zoning violation charges.

[psandman]

[ QUOTE ]
Here in Utah there were some card clubs that got around the gambling laws by charging fees for a preliminary tourney that paid no prizes, only an entry into a freeroll held on another day that had a substantial non-cash prize (like a big screen TV).

These places were full-bore commercial places that advertised. One of them was in business for over a year and might still be operating. The law did not have the energy to bother with bringing gambling charges, one of them was just hassled to death with zoning violation charges.

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Don't confuse getting around the law with simply being ignored. I just took a look at thtah statutes and its pretty clear that the activity you described falls within the prohibitions of the Utah gambling statutes.