Dear Members of Parliament,

Point/Thesis

We are a collective of Canadian college students with a passion for poker. We recognize there is currently no legislation that allows for Canadian card clubs to exist, which is why we are petitioning for this legislation to pass. We understand raked games are currently illegal, but as you may know, there is much of the population that are currently taking advantage of other less experienced poker players and raking their own home games. In order to solve this issue, we hope to have legislation to pass that allows players to play poker in a safe, legal business. This would be beneficial for all, especially the government and unsuspecting poker players. With laws in place, it would allow more regulation and proper restrictions to be put into place. This is unsimilar to the legislation that passed regarding marijuana, which allowed more regulations to be passed and marijuana to be purchased and enjoyed legally, and most importantly, safely, by Canadians. 

Interest

- there are a lot of people who enjoy playing poker and everyone would feel safe in a legal environment with standardized equipment and knowledgeable dealers and so on. 
The Effects of Needle Exchange Programs / VCH Supervised Consumption and Overdose Prevention Sites
- there was an article written by NCBI about the Needle Exchange Programs, in parts of the U.S., including a comprehensive evaluation carried out by University of California researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Lurie et al., 1993), (3) selected studies published since the two 1993 literature reviews, (4) detailed examination of a set of recent studies in New Haven, Connecticut, and (5) detailed examination of a set of recent studies in Tacoma, Washington. The idea was to provide safe spaces where trained staff helped and prevented drug addicts from overdosing. 

It's going to happen either way, so let's make it legal and safe!

It's already legal in many US States

- Legislation on card clubs (often referred to as card rooms or poker rooms) in the United States is primarily handled at the state and local levels rather than through comprehensive federal law. As of 2023, 46 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of casino-style gambling, which frequently includes regulated card clubs. As of 2023, only Hawaii, Utah, Georgia, and South Carolina do not have casinos, although some of these may have limited social or charitable gaming rules. The federal government regulates through laws like the Illegal Gambling Business Act, which penalizes operators of gambling businesses that violate state or local laws.

We want smt like Texas, where they do time-based rake, or Cali, where they do an hourly collection.

We personally know multiple people who run raked home games, but we can’t be snitches because it is just as dangerous playing as it is to speak up.