Arrested for Playing Poker

What is wrong with the state of South Carolina …can they not find better things to do than arrest folk for playing poker ? Here in Horry County at Myrtle Beach South Carolina, seven people were arrested last week for playing in what the authorities call an unlawful game of poker. The state law says that all games of cards and dice are illegal, and that means playing a friendly game of poker in your own home as well.

This arrest occurred last Sunday at 2:45 am when a woman called from a pay phone to inform cops that her son, who is an adult, was in a Myrtle Beach building playing “high stakes poker”.  Could you just imagine the embarrassment the man must be feeling ? After the anger has passed I’ll bet that he will be ribbed about this for a long while.

The mom evidently has no idea what a “high stakes” poker game is, for the largest sum that anyone had on them was $2435 and the least was nothing. That’s not high stakes poker by any players imagination, not even at any of the best online poker rooms.

Police surrounded the building, and seven people were arrested as they came out as if they were some sort of big time criminals that had been fleeing from the law.

Michael Green, 41, of Loris SC. who owns the building and was holding $1402 was charged with unlawful games and betting and booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 6:11 a.m. Sunday. He was released later that day on $250 bail.

Each of the other six were charged with unlawful gambling, and police seized the following amounts of cash from five of them: James Earl Redick, 68, of Georgetown, $33 seized; Brenda Alford Redick, 67, of Georgetown, $6seized; Sean Patrick O’Brien, 43, of Myrtle Beach, $745 seized; Moshe Ben-Ezra, 26, of Myrtle Beach, no cash; Ryan Lee Ott, 37, of Sawyer Calif., $2,435 seized; and Roi Polani, 30, of Myrtle Beach, $660 seized.

Don’t you think it’s high time that South Carolina changes the gambling laws ?

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