Poker runs are illegal in Texas

Poker runs like the one that led recently to five boat crash deaths at Lake Texoma apparently are illegal under Texas law.

The events' legality in Oklahoma hasn't been settled.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled in December that such events -- even those used as charitable fund-raisers -- violate the state's gambling laws.

A spokesman for Abbott said Friday it would be up to Grayson County District Attorney Joe D. Brown to decide whether to file charges over the "Highroller Poker Run" at Texoma. Brown didn't return phone messages Friday.

The event, organized at a marina at Pottsboro, Texas, drew about 55 participants who paid $500 each. The Oklahoman was unable to determine whether the event benefited a charity.

Among the five people killed Sept. 2 was the event organizer, Gordon Mineo, 61, of Rockwall, Texas.

Also killed on his boat were Mineo's wife, Ann, 59; and Amy Dawn Lane, 31, and Justin R. Lane, 25, of Little Elm, Texas. The fifth victim was Myra Gibson, 51, of Old Hickory, Tenn., a passenger on the second boat, driven by her husband, Bruce Gibson, 54.

Bruce Gibson remained at a Dallas hospital.

The boaters were among participants in a poker run, in which teams -- usually in boats or motorcycles -- collect cards or chips at different locations. The best poker hand wins a prize, and other proceeds often go to charity. Although the event isn't a race, participants often speed anyway.

A witness told investigators both boats at Lake Texoma were traveling close to 100 mph before they crashed. Mineo's Web site offered rides on his "Flash Gordon" boat at $300 per half-hour, promising to reach speeds of 165 mph.

Poker runs also have been deemed illegal in Minnesota.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson hasn't been asked to determine whether such events are legal here, spokesman Charlie Price said.

He said Edmondson wouldn't weigh in on the issue without a formal request.

Capt. George Green, who oversees lake patrol operations for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said Texas' prohibition on poker runs would have no impact on his unit's investigation of the Texoma crash.

"We wouldn't enforce a Texas law," he said.

Although poker runs are common at Oklahoma venues including Lake Texoma and Grand Lake, Green said he couldn't recall anyone ever complaining about one.

The manager of a marina used to start and finish the fatal poker run said he doubts his marina will be affiliated with another one, "at least not in the near future."

Tim Hayes, general manager of the Highport Marina, said the Texoma crash prompted organizers to cancel a poker run last weekend at Lake Lewisville.