National Poker Challenge Opens in Arkansas

Monday, 10 September 2007

In the US, the National Poker Challenge (NPC) has announced that it has opened a location in the southern state of Arkansas despite concerns from local officials and citizens that had initially delayed the prospect.

In the US, the National Poker Challenge (NPC) has announced that it has opened a location in the southern state of Arkansas despite concerns from local officials and citizens that had initially delayed the prospect.
NPC involves players paying a monthly membership fee in order to participate in live games of Texas Hold'em poker and avoids being classed as gambling even though players can win cash and prizes. NPC said that its brand of play is based more on competition without the threat of losing money as players pay to have their progress tracked with the best statistical players then invited to tournaments for cash and prizes.
However, local officials and citizens groups had objected to the opening of an NPC site in the state’s largest city stating that it was gambling, prompting NPC to seek legal advice.
“We've secured six different opinions from six attorneys in six different states that contradict the opinion given here in Little Rock,” said Michael White, President of NPC.
“It's not ‘us’ versus ‘them’ as we're not interested in that at all. It's just a case where they have not seen all of the fact before rendering an opinion.”
White said that the Little Rock location has about 150 players registered for play compared to 800 in nearby Memphis, Tennessee, where the concept originated. He stated that he was so confident in the legality of NPC that he is planning on putting up the prize money and playing in one of the Challenge's first cash paying tournaments later this month.
Police in the State’s capital city said that they would monitor NPC just as they would any other bar, club or business and intervene if illegal activity was to take place.



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