South Carolina gambling updates delayed

Hopes that 2009 might see the modernisation of 200-year-old antiquated gambling laws in South Carolina have faded this week on the news that state politicians were not able to address the issue before the conclusion of the legislative session in the state and the bills will now be put on hold until 2010.
Senate Bills 535 and 628 which would legalise social games of poker, “…won’t be readdressed until next legislative session, set to start in January,” reports the Augusta Chronicle. For fans of the game, that means at least seven more months before any further movement will take place.
Senators McConnell, Mulvaney, Ford, Land, Knotts, and Davis introduced Senate Bill 535, which legalises “private” games where the House does not take a rake . At the same time, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) successfully added a “predominance test” clause to both bills in an attempt to clarify South Carolina gambling laws.
The gambling law on the books is over 200 years old and was brought into the spotlight after the arrests of poker players allegedly competing in a friendly home game in Mount Pleasant.

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