Cops bust charity poker ring in North Pole
28th February, 2008
Law enforcement officers in the US state of Alaska have blocked charity workers from hosting a series of fundraising poker games, it has emerged.
The North Pole is fabled to be the home of folklore's most amiable figure, Santa Claus, but officers from the Fairbanks police department were displaying none of the big guy's iconic good-will and cheer when they drew up legal papers prohibiting the charitable card games.
Fairbanks police chief Dan Hoffman said he was forced to put a dampener on the poker event - which was supposed to raise money for Santa's Mailbag, a North Pole-based charity that answers letters mailed to Santa - after the state attorney's office raised the red flag.
He acknowledged the noble intentions of the heavily-advertised tournaments, but insisted Alaska's strict anti-gambling laws left little room for leniency. "State law is clear and I have to step up and tell the folks this is in violation of state law and don't do this," newsminer.com reported the police chief as saying.
The report comes a fortnight after legislators from South Carolina drew up plans to amend that state's anti-gambling laws in order to permit occasional fundraising poker games in church.
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