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The United States is beginning to look like a police state.  The government, more and more, are taking on the role of a moral authority.  Instead of focusing on crimes that really threaten the community, they occupy themselves with banning people from online casinos and busting up home poker games.

Recently, gamblers in South Carolina were rounded up by police after their private home poker game was raided.  The gamblers may be facing trial by jury.

South Carolina has notoriously banned cards and dice games, online casinos are obviously illegal there as well.  However, authorities may face interesting legal problems if the jury acquits the large number of players potentially being tried.  Among the accused are police officers, a state deputy prosecutor, and other respectable professionals.

The raids were made in early April at three locations in Charleston South Carolina.  Not only were arrests made, but over $40,000 in cash and gambling equipment were confiscated.  Most players were slapped with misdemeanors, but dealers and organizers are in some cases facing felony allegations.

These measures seem a bit extreme since these organizers were hosting an event in the privacy of their own home.  It is not as if they were organizers of an underground gambling ring or managers of online casinos

Creating hope for the future, a bill has recently been introduced to the state legislative House with the intentions of making home poker games played without a rake legal.  Unfortunately for those newly accused, it is not likely the bill will see a full debate before 2009.

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