Indiana agency : No action planned over card game prizes

Officials at a Muncie senior center say they were contacted by the Indiana Gaming Commission and told that residents can no longer pay a few dollars to play euchre for prizes like a pack of cookies or toilet paper.

The Indiana Gaming Commission issued a statement that said, “We responded to a complaint from a member of two euchre card clubs regarding mishandling of funds at one of the clubs utilizing a senior center for gaming”.

The executive director of the gaming commission in Indiana, Sara Tait, disregarded initial questions from The Star Press and said, “Our general practice is not to provide substantive comments for stories”.

The Commission also stated, “Card games like these are very similar to developing a Final Four bracket or $5 poker night with friends”. We distribute regularly such email information following the receipt of a complaint.

The absurd situation actually got the attention of Gov. Mike Pence and it irked him because “common sense” wasn’t being used.

In Muncie, Indiana, a group of senior citizens is being targeted by the state for their illegal game of euchre. “He has asked the Commission to review its procedures to ensure common sense prevails when reviewing complaints and concerns”.

Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold said he wasn’t aware of the commission’s contact with the senior center and that he does not consider the center’s euchre games to be “real egregious”. Officials said that the email sent to the senior center essentially amounted to a heads-up about state gambling rules, according to the report. ‘I’ve encouraged them to write their state representatives.’.

But Elton says she and members of the center’s board are concerned about the loss of revenue from about 50 euchre players.

She said, “I’ve had Polio when I was a child and it can’t be corrected and I said I’m going to start going over there”. But the investigative eyes of the state centered on euchre, a card game played three days a week, until now, illegally.

‘We play five games and we have snacks, then play five more games, ‘ Wilson said. “Whoever has the high score gets to come up and pick a prize”. We use the money to buy the prizes with and we buy sympathy cards or go out to dinner if there’s money left.

“We wasn’t winning no big money or nothing like that”.

Players each pay $2.50 to play, one dollar is paid to the center and the rest is collected to purchase future prizes.