Poker tournament business fears impact of new gambling laws

A poker tournament organiser whose events lure hundreds of contestants fears the impact of new gambling laws on his business but says he cannot get Government to clarify key questions raised by its proposals.
Fintan Gavin runs the Irish Poker Championship, Irish Poker Festival and Monster Poker Festival, among others while he has branched out to organise tournaments in Britain and Portugal.
However, Mr Gavin says he is unsure of how the Government’s Gambling Regulation Bill, due before the Dáil next week, will regulate these events.
He fears that stake and win limits applying to some games could damage his business if they apply to poker tournaments, but he cannot get the State to clarify this.
Mr Gavin has tried contacting Anne Marie Caulfied, chief executive designate of what will be the State’s Gambling Regulatory Authority, but says he has not received a response.
“I am all for regulation,” he says. “I think it would be really good for our industry as it would allow us to bring in more sponsors.”
The Gaming and Lotteries Act, 1956, which Mr Gavin argues is outdated, currently governs his business.
Part of his problem is that he is unsure if the new laws will apply to poker tournaments once the legislation is passed.
Contestants in the tournaments pay an entrance fee, dubbed a “buy in”, which can range from €100 to €3,000, depending on the competition. Winning and placed players get cash prizes partly funded by the entrance fees.
However, while they play for poker chips that have a nominal value, they do not bet their own cash when they are playing tournament games. “It’s a tests of the players’ skills,” Mr Gavin explains.
On this basis, he wants Government or the regulator to clarify if the law will apply to these tournaments, and if so, how will it apply.
As it stands, the Bill limits bets on gaming machines, and other live table games such as blackjack and roulette, and lotteries to €10 and winnings to €3,000.
This would not work for poker tournaments on the scale that Mr Gavin’s organisation runs, he explains.
The Department of Justice maintains that the limits are “a continuation” of measures in the 1956 Act.
It adds that the Gambling Regulatory Authority will have the power to vary these limits with the consent of the Minister for Justice.
The Bill is due to begin final and report stages in the Dáil next Wednesday, October 16th, according to the department.
Mr Gavin points out that his organisation has been running Irish poker tournaments for 20 years.
A recent event organised by his business in Killarney, Co Kerry, attracted enough players to take up 275 rooms in the Gleneagle Hotel, while he expects a big attendance at one at Dublin’s Intercontinental Hotel at the end of this month.
Its success has drawn interest from outside Ireland. Mr Gavin has recently run tournaments in the UK and Portugal.
“But at this stage I’m not sure if I will still be able to do it in my own country,” he says.