Maryland Politicians Seek to Decriminalize Home Poker Games

It appears that a big wave of momentum towards online poker regulation in the USA may be occurring. So far in 2015 a new state bill to legalize and regulate online poker has been introduced in California, and a new casino bill in the state of New Hampshire was introduced just days ago.

Now in the eastern US state of Maryland, a bill that aims to decriminalize the organisation and/or playing of home-based poker games has been tabled.

Like the latest online poker bill that was introduced in California, the home-based poker legislation in Maryland has been introduced in the form of two separate bills: One in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives.

The bills, known as Senate Bill 184 and House Bill 59, were introduced by Senator Nancy King and Delegate Kirill Reznik respectively. The Senate Bill states that a person would be able to “conduct a home game that is a game of chance or skill involving wagering that is conducted in a person’s home and allows a player to compete directly against one or more other players”.

However, the bill also makes it clear that it aims to strictly decriminalise games that are live, with a provision barring any poker games at home involving internet access having been included. The bill also states that players, organisers and any other persons involved in a live home game will only be able to financially benefit from winnings that are directly involved with the game they are playing.

Persons engaging in home-based poker games in Maryland rarely get into legal trouble with the authorities. However, the current state law does stipulate that those who are found to be organising a poker game could face fines of up to $1,000 and a potential prison term.

Those penalties would be eliminated should this bill be passed in its current form in the state’s House and Senate. The move to decriminalise home games is a step in the right direction not just for Maryland, but also for the US as a whole given the general nature of modern day home-based poker games.

A traditional stereotype of such games usually gives a setting of a dank, underground den with shady characters and an atmosphere of negativity. However, such preconceptions have changed drastically over game as the game of poker has gained popularity and even gained acceptance in some parts of the mainstream.

The bills that have been introduced in Maryland are simply a symbol of that change.

Most home poker games are often undertaken between people who are known to each other, often friends, who have at least a basic grasp of poker and who are playing as a hobby as well as for money.

By introducing the bills into the Maryland Senate and House, Senator King and Delegate Reznik are simply replicating society’s acceptance of poker into the political arena.