Nebraska legislators last week declined to call poker a game of skill rather than a game of chance. The state constitution bans games of chance.
Supporters of legalizing poker in the state were hoping to win the vote so that draw poker could be legalized and charity poker games could be licensed in the state.
Senator Tyson Larson sponsored the bill. He argued that skill is a greater factor in poker than luck.
Senator Lydia Brasch, who opposed the bill, declared, “We’re going into very dangerous territory here by slowly and surely peeling away that which makes us great. I think this is chance. I’m not willing to bet Nebraska’s future on expanded gambling.”
Senator Jim Smith said that the bill, which supporters argued was a way to lower property taxes was “similar to saying I’m going to lose weight and I’m going to be better fit in the new year by eating a box of doughnuts every day.”
The measure received 16 votes to end debate and force a floor vote. It needed 33.
Last year Larson told Card Player: “The Nebraska Constitution outlaws games of chance. In the bill I’m saying poker is not a game of chance; it is a game of skill. It is therefore constitutional under the Nebraska state Constitution. It is the mechanism in which we will regulate and tax poker, but also boost economic development in the state of Nebraska and hopefully not let our surrounding states bleed us dry from all the gambling revenue.”
