Local charities are hurting since some quit holding raffles over legal concerns, according to testimony at a public hearing on the state’s gaming laws Thursday evening in North Charleston.
It was the first of several hearings around the state by a subcommittee appointed by Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston. The senators are drafting a bill that would call for a referendum next year to let voters decide on a constitutional amendment declaring charitable raffles legal. They’re drafting another bill to allow poker in homes.
As it is, state law written a century ago says all games of chance are illegal. Many charities quit holding raffles after a 2006 raid on a game of Texas Hold ’em at a Mount Pleasant home.
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