The U.S. House of Representatives voted to legalize card rooms where gamblers can bet against each other in poker and other games. The 23-16 vote took place around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, as the legislature worked late to finish its work before the six-day recess.

The card room bill, House Bill 272, needs to pass through the Senate before it becomes law. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Ralph Cicins said today that he plans a hearing on the bill, but is not sure if it will pass by his own Judiciary Committee. More people oppose expanding gambling in the Senate than in the House.

Nevertheless, the bill has passed the Legislature so far, less than a month after it was introduced. Anchorage poker legend, semi-retired fur dealer and landlord Perry Green is working on the bill with lobbyists Ashley Reid and Joe Hayes, who Green has signed for $50,000 each to receive their help, according to a filing with the Alaska Public Administration Commission.

Green said he plans to open a card room with about 20 tables in Anchorage if the idea removes state and local obstacles.

The bill, passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday night, calls for municipalities to also pass ordinances ratified by a majority of local voters before they are allowed to open credit card rooms within municipalities.

Bill sponsor Pete Court, R-Eagle River, said the proposal was for tightly regulated businesses where people can enjoy and stake cards. He questioned the claim that poker was becoming popular and would cause social ills.

"I think the game of golf is more addictive," he said. Woody Salmon, D-Beaver MP, said "little women" have bingo halls, and there should be a card room for "little women" to make a bet.

"I think it's a very good habit compared to bars and bars and drugs," Salmon said on the House floor. "You don't see little old people coming from playing poker and running down the street."

But Salmon's amendment to allow credit card rooms in cities with a population of less than 30,000 narrowly fell through. The billy allows only boroughs with a population of more than 30,000 in Alaska to issue credit card rooms, meaning Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, Matanuska-Susitna, and Junau. There will be up to nine credit card rooms in Anchorage, up to 15 statewide, and only one card room per 30,000 residents.

Representative Jim Elkins, R-Ketchikan, agreed that the restrictions were unfair. He said small cities like Ketchikan, Sitka, and Petersburg may also want card rooms. "They should be second-rate citizens and should not be allowed to play poker like people in big cities," he said.

Mr. Court said he was worried that the state had too many credit card rooms. But he said he could reopen the bill to smaller cities if it was submitted to the House for a form of reconsideration.

Opponents of the bill said the state should not support something as destructive as gambling, and feared it would open the door to proposals to move forward with casinos, video poker and other forms of gambling. "It's not about good clean fun," said Harry Crawford, a member of the council from De Anchorage. "It's about greed."

The bill would have the governor appoint a five-member "Cardroom Advisory Board" to advise the IRS. The IRS will determine who can get a license to run one of its businesses. The IRS will also set the maximum and minimum betting amount for games and what cardroom owners can charge the players. Players will bet against each other instead of their homes, which means games like blackjack will not be allowed. The bill allows poker, bridge, fan, rummy and creepage.

The bill does not have a limit on the number of tables in the card room. However, cardholders will have to pay the state an annual license fee of $10,000 per table in addition to the $25,000 application fee. Many states, including California, Washington, Michigan and Montana, have card rooms, the Revenue Department said.

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