A Texas House committee will conduct the first hearing on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 for the "social poker" bill backed by several of the state's largest poker rooms and their lobbying group, Texans for Hold'em. House Bill 2345, which was introduced in February, will receive consideration from the House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures, where it was assigned in March after its mandatory first reading on the House floor.
HB 2345 is currently sponsored by three Democratic Texas state representatives, lead sponsor Ryan Guillen, Senfronia Thompson, and Oscar Longoria. A companion bill to HB 2345, State Sen. Jose Menendez's SB 1681, is awaiting consideration in the Texas Senate's Committee on State Affairs.
The 8:00 am Licensing & Administrative Procedures hearing will include discussion of four bills in total, also including the rival social-poker bill introduced by Rep. Eugene Wu (D-Houston), HB 1601. Wu's controversial measure was recently amended from its initial version, which as introduced and if passed in that original form, would likely have meant the end of Texas's social-poker scene.
Two key inclusions in HB 2345
Also added to the Texans for Hold'em-backed HB 2345 are the key modifications to Texas's existing gambling laws that HB 2345's supporters believe will create a specific carveout for the state's dozens of social-poker clubs.
The first of the changes called for within HB 2345 is a precise definition of "economic benefit" that limits the phrase's meaning to only the hands being played at poker tables, and not to such things as membership fees or time-based seat charges. "'Economic benefit'" the inclusion states, "means direct winnings from a game of skill or luck. The term does not include a benefit received before a game commences or after payment of the direct winnings from the game."
The second proposed change within HB 2345 is a clearer definition of the types of "private place" where poker games can be conducted. Texas's existing code already bars poker from being offered in many places, and the existing law would add to the "private place" definition by including venues where the public has no access without "a valid membership, special invitation, or prior grant of permission."
Featured image source: Texans for Hold'em
