Several years ago, some people in Mt. Pleasant held a poker game in a residential neighborhood. The game was raided and twenty-two people were arrested. The guilty parties included a deputy sheriff and an assistant prosecutor. The sponsors of this event called it a “friendly home game.” Five men refused to pay the fine and chose to take their case to court. Their goal was to force a change in South Carolina’s gambling laws.
Joe MackThis game was advertised on the Internet. Professional dealers were brought in and the players had to pay a fee to get in the house. This was a for-profit venture that moved from one host’s house to another in an attempt to avoid attention.
The case finally came up in court. Judge Markley Dennis reversed an earlier decision and ruled that Texas Hold’em, a specific poker game, is a game of skill instead of a game of chance. Attorney General Henry McMaster plans to appeal this ruling. We agree with Mr. McMaster.
Time has made a difference in how some judges seem to confuse the Code of Law and what a handful of high-pressure, well-known lawyers, lobbyists and activists desire. Any time a state gambling law is challenged, the professional gamblers come in to testify about the “skill” that players must have to be successful at the gaming tables. We found one pro-poker site that reveals poker is not a game in which the elements of skill predominate over chance.
South Carolina Baptists, historically, are opposed to gambling in any form. We believe in hard work and honesty. We believe families should grow together and not have family resources gambled away in the name of fun or recreation. We believe that South Carolina has a clean, family friendly atmosphere that attracts thousands of tourists and welcomes new residents from Northern and Western climes. If people can afford to gamble for “recreation,” they ought to be able to afford travel to another state to do so.
We believe that God provides our every need. We believe that it is our responsibility to make good decisions based on biblical principles in every aspect of our lives.
Gambling and investing are not the same. Financial investments are based on various economic factors that compare historical trends to current earnings and losses. Gambling is based on greed and deception.
I ask you to pray for Mr. McMaster and his staff as they prepare to defend South Carolina’s family friendly atmosphere in the courts. I ask that you pray for those who are caught within the clutches of gambling. Please pray that gambling will not be expanded within our beautiful, friendly state.