Ruling Blocks Ban on Jackpot Poker
Siding with Los Angeles County card club operators, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday that blocks enforcement of a ban on low ball jackpot poker that has been proposed by the state attorney general’s office.
The ruling prohibits the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department from enforcing a ban proposed by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp, who in August issued an opinion that jackpot poker was a form of illegal lottery because it involves a prize, players pay a fee to participate, and chance predominates over skill.
Four Los Angeles County poker clubs--the Normandie Casino and the Eldorado Club, both in Gardena, the Bell Gardens Bicycle Club, and the California Commerce Club in Commerce--sued to block the ban.
In making the ruling, Judge Miriam Vogel said the game appears to involve more skill than chance, has been played without problems for eight years countywide, and should not be halted before club owners have a chance to present their case in court.
The state or the county may appeal the judge’s ruling.
The attorney general’s office already has mailed cease-and-desist letters to card club owners statewide, giving them until Nov. 1 to halt the game or face arrest on misdemeanor charges and a possible loss of state gaming registration certificates.
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