Oregon Lawmakers Pass Bill That Could Shut Down Vibrant Poker Scene In PortlandHouse Lawmakers Approve It 39-16 |
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For-profit poker rooms in Oregon could be forced out of business thanks to a bill passed by some state lawmakers on Thursday.
The Oregon House of Representatives passed HB 2190 by a vote of 39-16. The legislation now sits in the state Senate for consideration. The bill was introduced in early January.
There are some 20 poker rooms in the Portland area, which could all potentially close thanks to the legislation. The proposal would allow cities and counties to authorize “social” poker games only if they are operated and controlled by a charitable, fraternal or religious organization.
For-profit businesses and clubs would no longer be allowed to have poker.
Oregon’s constitution has a prohibition on nontribal casino-style gambling, so that’s why poker rooms, which offer a clearly skill-based game, have for years enjoyed a social gaming exemption. Dealers aren’t employees (they get paid in tips) and rooms often have a cover charge, rather than a rake. The rooms also make money from food and drink sales.
HB 2190 would prohibit such a business model.
The state has also had an issue with the dealers not making a wage. However, they are said to make about $14 an hour in tips from poker players, income that would end under HB 2190.
The Oregon Attorney General’s office said about six years ago that the poker dealers cannot earn wages. Dealers were then paid only in tips. Portland left poker alone for several years, but a recent opinion by the Oregon Department of Labor said dealers should be considered employees, not volunteers. As a result, Portland said it would begin enforcing old state codes.
In August, Portland suggested that rooms should have players deal the games themselves. Anyone who plays poker for money knows that’s not a very good idea.
“Anyone who owns a poker room in Portland lives in a state of high anxiety,” Chris Vetter, co-director of Save Oregon Poker, told Card Player in an interview last fall about the legal situation.
This scene has been under threat for years. According to Vetter, a bill was on the table in the legislature in 2013 that would have closed all the poker clubs. Fortunately, the bill, which Vetter said was backed by Washington state casinos, didn’t gain enough traction and fell by the wayside.
Hopefully that will be the case in 2017.
Last week, a $500 million tribal casino opened up in the Portland-Vancouver metro area. The Washington state casino doesn’t have a poker room, but it’s planning for one.
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