Colorado is another state that starts its section on gambling laws off with a legislative declaration to set forth how the following laws pertaining to gambling are to be interpreted by the courts. It reads as follows:

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“(1) It is declared to be the policy of the general assembly, recognizing the close relationship between professional gambling and other organized crime, to restrain all persons from seeking profit from gambling activities in this state; to restrain all persons from patronizing such activities when conducted for the profit of any person; to safeguard the public against the evils induced by common gamblers and common gambling houses; and at the same time to preserve the freedom of the press and to avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.

(2) All the provisions of this article shall be liberally construed to achieve these ends and administered and enforced with a view to carrying out the declaration of policy stated in subsection (1) of this section.” (1)

So in addition to seeking a broad interpretation of the laws here, the goal is expressed as focusing on those profiting from gambling and not the act of gambling itself. It is worth mentioning at this point that Colorado law has a unique definition of “professional gambling,” which means the following:

“(a) Aiding or inducing another to engage in gambling, with the intent to derive a profit therefrom; or
(b) Participating in gambling and having, other than by virtue of skill or luck, a lesser chance of losing or a greater chance of winning than one or more of the other participants.” (2)

So this does not mean deriving one’s income from gambling, it means either running a gambling operation and profiting from that or cheating at gambling.

The most significant part of this directive in reference to poker playing is their seeking to “avoid restricting participation by individuals in sport and social pastimes which are not for profit, do not affect the public, and do not breach the peace.”

This in itself lends itself strongly to not prohibiting gambling which falls in this category, which notably would at least seem to include both social gambling in private games and internet gambling as well, as this could easily be seen as a social pastime in the manner described.

The Actual Gambling Law Itself In Colorado

So let’s look at the actual law in Colorado as far as gambling offenses are concerned. As we look at this, we need to bear in mind the directive of not looking to interfere with social gambling.

Before we can look at the law against gambling we need to look at how gambling is defined in this state:

“”Gambling” means risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device, or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control…” (3)

This is a pretty standard definition and is set up so that betting on poker is clearly included, since poker hands are contingent at least in part upon chance.

So here’s how the law against gambling in Colorado reads:

“(1) A person who engages in gambling commits a class 1 petty offense.
(2) A person who engages in professional gambling commits a class 1 misdemeanor. If he is a repeating gambling offender, it is a class 5 felony.” (4)

Once again, keep in mind that “professional gambling” means deriving profit apart from the honest play of a player who gains through the means of luck and skill, so that would fall under (1) and would be classified as the offense of gambling and not professional gambling.

A petty offense in Colorado is the least serious of offenses, although it is still a criminal offense.

Playing Poker In Colorado

There does seem to be some conflict here when we look at the actual law and compare it with the legislative directive we begun this discussion looking at. This directive comprises a significant and binding part of the state’s overall gambling law though and is not just there for judges to refer to when the law is unclear.

So looking at the law itself and how it reads then this would seem to make all gambling in Colorado illegal. We do know that there is legal gambling in Colorado though so this section is certainly not the last word, and is subject to modification by other provisions in the law, such as the legislative directive.

So we really need to look at both of these together to determine what forms of gambling are prohibited, and we know that the directive prescribes that we not limit social gambling, so that would presumably not be included, and social gambling may be seen as not just home games but the playing of online poker as well.

You never know how courts will actually interpret laws in practice though, as there was a case in Colorado where persons were charged with running a poker tournament, and the judge found them not guilty because poker was found to be a game of skill and therefore not gambling. (5) It is very difficult to imagine how the judge came to this conclusion as this would require there to not be any element of chance at all in it, but at least it was a friendly one to poker players.

Colorado also has provisions to regulate live poker rooms and there are a total of 10 live poker rooms in the state, in the areas of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, Central City, and Ignacio. Many of these poker rooms are within easy driving distance from major population centers such as Denver and Colorado Springs and feature a wide variety of stakes to suit the needs of a wide variety of players. (6)

Whether or not online poker is ever found to be illegal or not, and there has not ever been anyone charged with this, players from Colorado continue to play it, and there is at least some leaning toward regulating it down the road.

In the mean time if you are up for some online poker and are from Colorado, the one site I have no problem recommending to you is Ignition Poker and Casino, one of the newest and surprisingly – one of the most trusted sites out there today. It absorbed the former Bovada Poker software and features the same promos and even bigger bonuses for new players. Check the review out here!

References:

(1) Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-10-101, Legislative Declaration – Construction

Poker Rooms In Denver Colorado

(2) Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-10-102 Definitions

(3) ibid.

(4) Colorado Revised Statutes, 10-10-103, Gambling

(5) Poker Deemed Not Gambling In Colorado Criminal Case

(6) All Live And Online Poker Rooms In Colorado

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Molly Bloom (born April 21, 1978) is an American entrepreneur, speaker,^[1]author of the 2014 memoir Molly's Game. She had trained for years to become an Olympicskier, but was injured while trying to qualify for the Olympics.

In April 2013, she was charged with running a high-stakes poker game that originated in the Viper Room in Los Angeles, which attracted wealthy people, sports figures, and Hollywood celebrities.^[2] In May 2014, after pleading guilty to reduced charges, she was sentenced to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 200 hours of community service.^[3] In addition, she was required to forfeit $125,000 in earnings from the games she operated.^[3]

A film adaptation of her book, Molly's Game, starring Jessica Chastain and directed by Aaron Sorkin, debuted in December 2017.^[4]

Early life[edit]

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Bloom was born on April 21, 1978, and grew up in Loveland, Colorado. Her father, Larry Bloom, is a clinical psychologist and a professor at Colorado State University.^[5] Her mother, Char, was a ski and snowboard instructor and a professional fly-fisher with her own line of clothing.^[6] Bloom's father is Jewish and her mother is Christian.^[7] Her brothers are Jordan Bloom, a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital,^[8] and Jeremy Bloom, who was an American Olympic skier and professional American football player with the Philadelphia Eagles.^[9] She was a competitive skier and at one time ranked third in Nor-Am Cup for women's moguls skiers; she later suffered an injury while trying to qualify for the Olympics.^[10] She attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.^[11]

Poker game[edit]

In 2004, Bloom moved to Los Angeles and found work as a bartender. In 2004, Darin Feinstein, one of the co-owners of The Viper Room nightclub, was approached by actor Tobey Maguire about hosting a high-stakes poker game in the basement of the club. Feinstein recruited Bloom to cater to the players and manage the game. In 2007, Bloom started her own business, registering Molly Bloom Inc. as an event and catering company to host poker tournaments.^[12] By 2008, the games had graduated to private homes and hotels like the Peninsula Beverly Hills, with hands going as high as $4 million.^[13] In addition to Maguire, many wealthy people, celebrities and sports figures were known to frequent the games including Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Gores, Macaulay Culkin, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Alex Rodriguez, Nelly, Mary Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Phil Ivey, Rick Salomon and Andy Beal.^[14][15][16]

The onset of the 2008 recession made underground poker games less common, and in 2009, Bloom moved to an Upper West Side high-rise near Manhattan's Lincoln Center. She began organizing games in a private apartment at the new Astor Place and suites at the Plaza Hotel, which used the same sophisticated dealing equipment used in casinos, and which were staffed by women hired from 1 Oak, an exclusive nightclub. However, Bloom had fewer contacts in New York, where raids on underground games prompted them to relocate to Long Island. As a result of this, Bloom attracted rich businessmen from Wall Street but also more disreputable gamblers whose bids were significantly smaller than those in Los Angeles. In June 2010, Bloom was served with a $116,133 tax lien for failing to pay appropriate taxes on her New York events.^[14]

Arrest and sentencing[edit]

Poker In Colorado

In 2011, one of Bloom's games in Los Angeles was shut down as part of a bankruptcy investigation into a Ponzi scheme run by Bradley Ruderman, one of the players.^[17] Bloom, who had received money from Ruderman as part of the game, was accused of receiving $473,000 from Ruderman's bank to settle his debts and sued by the bankruptcy trustee for $473,200, but she denied that she was involved in organizing illegal gambling.^[17] Bank records showed 19 transfers to Bloom in 2007 and 2008 for amounts up to $57,500.^[14]

On April 16, 2013, Bloom was arrested and charged along with 33 others as part of a $100 million money laundering and illegal sports gambling operation.^[2]Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, charged 12 people with racketeering. Others were charged with money laundering, extortion, fraud and operating illegal poker rooms in New York City. Bloom, who was 34 at the time, faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, six years of supervised release, a fine of $1.5 million or twice the amount gained from the crimes or twice the amount lost by victims, and a $200 special assessment.^[18][19]

In May 2014, Bloom pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to one year of probation and 200 hours of community service.^[20] At the sentencing, Bloom's lawyer, Jim Walden, told the court that Bloom was in severe debt which included forfeiting $125,000 in poker proceeds as part of the plea.^[3] He stated that Bloom had 'been ordered into the gambling business' by her boss at a Los Angeles real estate company,^[3] then went on to create her own illegal poker game in New York in 2009.^[3]

Book and film[edit]

Bloom's memoir about her experiences, Molly's Game, was published in 2014.^[21]

A film adaptation of the book, also called Molly's Game, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 8, 2017.^[22]Jessica Chastain plays the role of Molly Bloom.^[23] The film received a 2018 Academy Award nomination in the category Best Adapted Screenplay.^[24]

References[edit]

1. ^'How to Create An Authentic Customer Experience, According to Poker Entrepreneur Molly Bloom - Business101.com'. Business101.com. 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
2. ^ ^abNancy Dillon; Robert Gearty; Daniel Beekman (April 17, 2013). 'Feds take down high-stakes poker, sports booking ring used by A-list celebs, Wall Street fat cats'. New York Daily News. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
3. ^ ^abcdeGregorian, Dareh (May 2, 2014). 'So-called 'Poker Princess,' implicated in $100 million gambling ring, ducks jail time, gets probation'. Daily News. New York, NY.
4. ^Ray Rahman (August 14, 2017). 'Aaron Sorkin on Directing His First Movie With 'Molly's Game''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
5. ^Nate Day (March 8, 2017). 'New book-to-movie adaptation has connection to daughter of CSU faculty'. Rocky Mountain Collegian. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
6. ^Charlie Meyers (February 25, 2006). 'Bloom to appear at sports show'. The Denver Post. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
7. ^Bloom, Nate (November 22, 2017). 'Hollywood's Celebrity Jews - Movies and more'. The Detroit Jewish News. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
8. ^'Surgical Residency Alumni'. massgeneral.org. Massachusetts General Hospital. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
9. ^Pullen, John Patrick (March 2013). 'World-Champion Skier Jeremy Bloom's Unconventional Path to Entrepreneurship'. Entrepreneur. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
10. ^'Molly Bloom – Cup Standings'. FIS-ski.com. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
11. ^John Wenzel (August 27, 2014). 'Molly Bloom's 'Game' reveals stacked deck of ambition, drama in world of high-stakes poker'. The Denver Post. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
12. ^Robert Kolker (June 30, 2013). 'Manhattan Fold 'Em'. New York Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
13. ^Seth Abramovitch (September 10, 2017). 'Hollywood Flashback: In 2008, Molly Bloom Was Tinseltown's Poker Queen'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
14. ^ ^abcHaddon, Heather (July 10, 2011). 'The queen of secret celeb poker'. New York Post. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
15. ^Italiano, Laura (2018-01-03). 'How the underground 'Poker Princess' managed to school Hollywood bigs'. New York Post. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
16. ^LandShark (2013-08-08). 'Hollywood's Elite Exposed in Gambling Crackdown, Guilty Plea Entered - PocketFives'. PocketFives. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
17. ^ ^abDuke, Alan (June 23, 2011). 'Celebs play high-stakes poker in Beverly Hills hotels, lawsuits say'. CNN. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
18. ^'Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges 34 Members and Associates of Two Russian-American Organized Crime Enterprises with Operating International Sportsbooks That Laundered More Than $100 Million'. FBI (Press release). April 16, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
19. ^Santora, Marc; Rashbaum, William K. (April 16, 2013). 'Agents Raid Gallery in Carlyle Hotel in Gambling Probe'. The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
20. ^Rich Calder (May 3, 2014). ''Poker princess' gets probation for role in $100M gambling ring'. New York Post. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
21. ^Bloom, Molly (June 24, 2014). 'Her House of Cards'. Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
22. ^Debruge, Peter (September 9, 2017). 'Film Review: 'Molly's Game''. Variety. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
23. ^''Molly's Game': Film Review TIFF 2017'. The Hollywood Reporter. September 8, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
24. ^'Oscar Nominees Writing Adapted Screenplay Nominee'. Retrieved March 14, 2018.

External links[edit]

• Molly Bloom at IMDb