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An administrative law judge ruled against the way in which “designated-player” card games are being operated at the Jacksonville Kennel Club, asserting that such games are in violation of Florida’s ban on so-called banked card games.
Banked card games are those in which the card games, such as blackjack, are typically considered those in which players bet against the house instead of each other. These lucrative games were approved by Florida more than four years ago.
These games are so popular they have eclipsed other card games like Texas Hold ‘Em.
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Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk wrote in her ruling:
“Given the strict statutory prohibition against gambling, the intricate regulatory scheme imposed, and the narrow carve out for cardrooms, the games cannot be allowed to continue to operate in the current manner,” Van Wyk wrote in a 54-page order. “The basic [tenet] of the cardroom statute is that authorized games are not casino gaming because the participants ‘play against each other.’ As currently operated, the designated player is a player in name only. The existing operation of the games does no more than establish a bank against which participants play.”
Regulators in January filed complaints against more than two-dozen cardroom operators regarding the games, which bring in about $1 million a month at the Jacksonville pari-mutuel.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
