Attorney general’s opinion ends Beaufort poker game

Friday, July 1, 2005 | 9:46 a.m.

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Organizers of a poker game used to help pay for the Beaufort Water Festival have folded the annual event after the South Carolina attorney general's office ruled it broke state gambling rules.

Participants in the event pay $10 to draw cards at about eight different landings and try to make the best poker hand. Cash prizes for good hands usually range between $100 and $2,000.

"We were very upset when we were told by the attorney general's office that we would have to cancel it because it's one of the highlights of the festival," said Erin Dean, spokeswoman for the Beaufort Water Festival.

The opinion from the attorney general's office said the poker game was a lottery and state law allows only the Legislature to run those types of games.

"The rule of thumb is that if it is a game of chance where a prize or consideration is given, it is illegal," attorney general's spokesman Trey Walker said. "When it comes to our state laws on gambling, there aren't many shades of gray."

The festival will replace the poker game with a Family Fun Night, which will include a trivia contest and a Disney movie.