Mark’s Soap Box

Last week the Mt. Charleston (South Carolina) Police raided what they called a “casino style gambling operation” at a private residence.

“It was terrible. This was a private game in a home,” the James Island woman [ Amelia Cheseborough 78] said Thursday. “They came in with masks and with their guns drawn. It was like something out of a TV show.”

Police say this was no nickle-and-dime card game between friends. The Glencoe Street house was home to a high-stakes, casino-style poker parlor that advertised games over the Internet and attracted people from all over the Lowcountry. Players paid a $20 “buy-in,” with a percentage of the proceeds going to the house. Officers spotted 15 to 20 vehicles visiting the home several days a week, police said.

“This was not a normal recreational card game,” Capt. Frank Riccio said. “This was something involving large quantities of money.”

Wow! a $20 buy-in! Yes, truly “large quantities of money! Not so says the participants

Four people gathered at the house Thursday, all of whom had been ticketed the night before, disagreed, saying only $250 was in play when officers entered.

Atlantic City, and the locals must be ecstatic that this nefarious gambling crew has been targeted. Surely they were hurting the businesses in AC, and turning the neighborhood into a cess pool. Sadly the police have continued to represent this game as a high-stakes gathering of ‘big time gamblers’. Just the type of people you wouldn’t want in you neighborhood.

So were they really ‘big time gamblers’? You decide. Among the ‘master criminals’ nabbed were 78 year old retiree Amelia Cheseborough. She had a whopping $18 on the table, which they confiscated. The police then engaged in the usual egregious behavior and seized money not meant for the game. Amelia lost the $85 in her purse. Yes the “big time” gambling going on here must surely have been the most exclusive in South Carolina.

The thousands of dollars police seized included cash from wallets, pockets and purses, plus savings stowed away in a dresser drawer, all money never intended for the card table, they said.

This is a typical tactic of the police. They seize money that most people won’t fight to get back. Either the money is too small to be worth it, or the money is ill-gotten. Thus the police get an infusion of money and in most cases are never challenged and never have to justify these egregious and usually baseless attacks on people.

Mount Pleasant Mayor Harry M. Hallman Jr. issued a statement crediting the police force with breaking up a gaming operation.

What “casino style games” were they  playing, how many games were there, and were they raking the game; which would make it illegal. They were playing Poker on three tables, and the games were not raked.

Cheseborough found the police description of the home as a casino-style operation somewhat laughable. She said people play on homemade tables with wobbly chairs. “If this was a casino, they’d have to do a lot better than that,” she said.

People at the home insisted that they only collected money to buy pizza, beer and soda.

If you live in South Carolina, you better not have that Super-Bowl party and ask for donations if you plan on any friendly wagering. You no doubt will get a visit from the local storm-troopers.

Is it South Carolina, the politicians, the irrational anti-poker forces, or is it just the thugs we hire as police officers that are the problem? I say all of them. Sadly government is so out of control, I am not sure we can stop it before a complete breakdown of the system occurs.

The Poker Players Alliance is seeking legal counsel for all of those involved. More info here: 1-866-760-3PPA or legal@pokerplayersalliance.org