Paper explores legality of poker tournaments
By: Bryanna Schwartz, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Features
Nourish International's annual Hold 'Em For Hunger poker tournament was scheduled for Sunday.
The event was canceled in March because of concerns about its legality, an issue addressed by a UNC law student in an award-winning paper.
Blake Griffin's paper, "North Carolina Gambling Law: Joker Club LLC v. Hardin," compared Nourish's annual poker fundraiser to a recent case in which a company wanted to open a poker club in Durham County but couldn't because gambling is illegal in North Carolina.
It won a Graduate Student Research Award from The Sport and Recreation Law Association.
Griffin found that the tournament could be illegal under N.C. laws.
"It was really intriguing to me. The concept of whether or not it should be, I don't know," said Griffin, who is also pursuing a master's in sports administration.
"I think that there is a good argument that it is for a great cause."
In the past, hundreds of UNC students entered the tournament, and the money it raised accounted for 70 percent of Nourish's yearly funds.
The money goes toward Nourish's annual summer service project trips. The organization seeks to eradicate poverty and empower communities.
After hearing many students' concerns about the tournament, Barbara Osborne, a sports administration professor, approached Griffin about combining his interest in law and sports and recreation to write a research paper on the topic.
Griffin's interest in poker grew out of watching his best friend gamble online, which made him contemplate the legalities of gambling.
"When I was first starting law school, it was really big everywhere, online, on TV," Griffin said.
"I was asking in my head if this is all legal. It was a lot like Napster in that it seems perfectly legal until people start losing money and getting in trouble."
Griffin presented his research at an annual conference in February and received his award. For this award, graduate students from across the U.S. submitted papers relating to sports, recreation and the law.
Stacey Altman, the honors and awards chairwoman, said Griffin's paper stood out because of the in-depth analysis.
"Instead of performing a summary, he took a specific case and analyzed it," she said. "The paper itself was written in a law review format. It had footnotes that were appealing to the reviewers because they showed more in-depth research."
Griffin said he originally wrote the paper for a class with an added interest of publication in a legal journal.
"I heard that Hold 'Em For Hunger wasn't going to happen, and I was hoping after I wrote the paper that they were going to be able to do it," Griffin said.
Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
The event was canceled in March because of concerns about its legality, an issue addressed by a UNC law student in an award-winning paper.
Blake Griffin's paper, "North Carolina Gambling Law: Joker Club LLC v. Hardin," compared Nourish's annual poker fundraiser to a recent case in which a company wanted to open a poker club in Durham County but couldn't because gambling is illegal in North Carolina.
It won a Graduate Student Research Award from The Sport and Recreation Law Association.
Griffin found that the tournament could be illegal under N.C. laws.
"It was really intriguing to me. The concept of whether or not it should be, I don't know," said Griffin, who is also pursuing a master's in sports administration.
"I think that there is a good argument that it is for a great cause."
In the past, hundreds of UNC students entered the tournament, and the money it raised accounted for 70 percent of Nourish's yearly funds.
The money goes toward Nourish's annual summer service project trips. The organization seeks to eradicate poverty and empower communities.
After hearing many students' concerns about the tournament, Barbara Osborne, a sports administration professor, approached Griffin about combining his interest in law and sports and recreation to write a research paper on the topic.
Griffin's interest in poker grew out of watching his best friend gamble online, which made him contemplate the legalities of gambling.
"When I was first starting law school, it was really big everywhere, online, on TV," Griffin said.
"I was asking in my head if this is all legal. It was a lot like Napster in that it seems perfectly legal until people start losing money and getting in trouble."
Griffin presented his research at an annual conference in February and received his award. For this award, graduate students from across the U.S. submitted papers relating to sports, recreation and the law.
Stacey Altman, the honors and awards chairwoman, said Griffin's paper stood out because of the in-depth analysis.
"Instead of performing a summary, he took a specific case and analyzed it," she said. "The paper itself was written in a law review format. It had footnotes that were appealing to the reviewers because they showed more in-depth research."
Griffin said he originally wrote the paper for a class with an added interest of publication in a legal journal.
"I heard that Hold 'Em For Hunger wasn't going to happen, and I was hoping after I wrote the paper that they were going to be able to do it," Griffin said.
Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
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