PORTSMOUTH (AP) -- A poker hall owner who wants to resume hosting Texas Hold 'em games is going to court to challenge the local prosecutor's decision to squelch the activity.
Poker Palace operator Charles Daniels is asking a judge to allow the games until the case can be argued in court. The Virginian-Pilot reports that his petition filed Tuesday contends that Texas Hold 'em is a game of skill, not chance, and thus legal under Virginia's gambling laws.
Unlike in other localities, poker halls had operated in Portsmouth partly because of Commonwealth's Attorney Earle Mobley's stance that state law was too murky to prosecute the games. But Mobley said in July that he would view poker games as illegal gambling, effectively banning the operations.
------
Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://www.pilotonline.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
