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Upping the Ante 
National billiards chain dares lawmakers over its poker games
PETER WALSH
The Telegram
Dooly's - a billiards chain with 88 locations in seven provinces - is challenging Newfoundland's interpretation of federal gaming laws by openly holding regular poker games at its three St. John's locations.
Dooly's hosts Texas Hold'em poker five days a week and twice on Saturdays. Each time, Dooly's staff drape some of their pool tables with a covering that transforms them into poker tables. At its Topsail Road location, for example, six of 19 pool tables are set aside for poker.
Poker players pay Dooly's a $20-registration fee and then pay a $20 buy-in at the poker table. Some games allow players to "re-buy" for another $20 once their buy-in is gone. Winning players keep the cash. Dooly's keeps the registration fee.
It's a game of chance that risks more than chips and $20. Dooly's is gambling with laws that prohibit gaming houses.
"Right now, we're forcing (the issue)," Dooly's vice-president Pierre Lariviere said from headquarters in Moncton, N.B.
"We're trying to push government to make a regulation, to say, 'Listen guys, you can have a game of Texas Hold'em and here's the limit and no game should be bigger than this and that's how you should do it.'"
It's risky business because the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has said poker games where money changes hands are illegal.
The stakes are even higher because the RNC also says poker in licensed establishments could be considered illegal because of the profit made from drinks sold to players. Dooly's is licensed to sell alcohol.
Dooly's is betting that it is acting within the law because it donates a portion of its registration fee to charity. It claims the fee allowed it to donate $100,000 to breast cancer research last year.
It also says by limiting buy-ins to $20, its poker is more entertainment than gambling. Dooly's says it has legal advice which says it is acting within a grey area of the law.
"When you stop and think about it, you got a bunch of grown men that are playing poker for $20 dollars at Dooly's in St. John's. They're adults. For three or four hours they're joking and having a good time. Somebody loses 20 bucks and somebody makes a little bit of money. What's the difference between that and in going to a movie and spending 20 bucks?" asked Lariviere.
Dooly's isn't alone. West Side Charlie's - another billiards chain - hosts poker at its Water Street location. It advertises its poker night on a chalkboard seen from the busy street. West Side Charlie's also has a $20 buy-in with players taking 100 per cent of the winnings. The manager would not comment or give his name to The Telegram, but franchise vice-president Wade Gravelle said he advises West Side Charlie's franchises not to offer poker until what he calls the "legal confusion" is cleared up.
"We've gone to the police and various bodies and asked for clarification, and I guess the real truth of the matter is nobody's willing to take any responsibility on this issue. The problem we have is they've allowed this to happen by having inconsistent standards," said Gravelle. "We were the first people to introduce Texas Hold'em to Newfoundland. No money changed hands. We sent the (tournament) winner to the world series of poker. In some locations we had the RCMP come in and tell us to stop, which we did. In other locations, the RCMP didn't come in. In fact, some RCMP would play."
Poker enthusiasts in Corner Brook have criticized the RNC for clamping down on poker games there, while the games in St. John's continue. One player, June Barter, said she has laid complaints with the RNC about St. John's games.
"How come they can play in their clubs openly and advertise it, when out here, cops here came in and said, 'You can't play a game in this establishment anymore, you could be charged and could get a jail term of up to two years, the staff, management and owner could be charged?'" Barter told Transcontinental Media in March.
"It's not entirely correct to say we have not gone into these establishments (in St. John's)," said RNC Insp. Brian Dowden, who wouldn't comment on the legality of the poker games played at Dooly's and West Side Charlie's.
Dowden did, perhaps, tip his hand a little.
"As a result of some preliminary investigation in a number of establishments on the Northeast Avalon there are sufficient grounds to proceed with a criminal investigation which could likely conclude with criminal charges and that would include charging the individuals such as the companies, the owners, mangers, the employees and the participants in the game. It would not be appropriate to comment on individual companies," said Dowden.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jerome Kennedy had no comment.
pwalsh@thetelegram.com
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