"Casino nights" formerly held by many community organizations in West Virginia to raise money for worthy causes, are illegal, the state Lottery Commission has ruled. But a poker tournament sponsored by the West Virginia Radio Corp. - a private business whose interest in the event is purely commercial - is all right.
What's wrong with this picture? Plenty, of course. It is one more reason why state legislators should take another look at laws that regulate gambling in our state.
When racetracks were permitted to offer table gambling, as three are doing, lawmakers wrote the statute in a manner making it illegal for anyone but the tracks to offer table gambling such as poker, blackjack, roulette, etc.
Community organizations that had used "casino nights" featuring such games to raise money have been advised by the Lottery Commission that they should cease doing so.
At first, the prohibition seemed to apply to the radio company's poker tournament. When contacted by this newspaper, Lottery Commission attorney John Melton said the event was illegal.
A day later, however, law enforcement's position had changed. It was learned that no entry fee was being charged for the poker tournament and, though prizes were being offered, players were not risking their own money to compete. That made the event perfectly legal, according to the Lottery Commission.
Confusion over the tournament - and bans against limited use of games of chance by community organizations - make it clear that the law needs to be given another look. Frankly, we see no harm in allowing an occasional "casino night" to support worthy causes. And obviously, provisions in the law needed to be clarified.