News Release

Cops Bust Veterans for Playing Poker

Drew Carey's latest Reason.tv video examines military-style raids on poker games

Los Angeles (December 3, 2007) – Dallas consistently ranks among the most dangerous cities in America, yet the city’s police department is devoting its precious resources to arrest veterans who are playing poker. In his latest video for Reason.tv, Drew Carey examines a paramilitary-style raid on a poker game at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1837 in Dallas, which has now been forced to close its doors.

“Poker is about as American as baseball and apple pie,” Carey says in the Reason.tv video. “It was born here in America. Mark Twain loved it. He’s a great American. Until recently, Supreme Court justices had a monthly game. They’re great Americans. You’d think playing poker in a VFW hall would be about as American as anything you could do.”

“This story highlights the hypocrisy that surrounds gambling in this country,” said Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason.tv. “States will gladly take your hard-earned money if you want to play the government’s lottery. But if you sit down with some veterans to play Texas hold ’em you may end up with cops, in full riot gear, busting down your door. No one gets hurt when consenting adults sit down for a game of cards. And there’s no reason for the government to get involved.”

The busted poker players have a court date on December 5, 2007.

Full Video Online

Texas Close ‘Em: Dallas Poker Raid, hosted by Drew Carey, is available online at: http://www.reason.tv/video/show/172.html.

Previous Reason.tv Drew Carey videos are Gridlock: Hell on Wheels, Medical Marijuana and National City: Eminent Domain Gone Wild.

About Reason.tv

Reason.tv is an online community showcasing the best libertarian ideas and videos on the Internet. Reason.tv gives you the opportunity to create videos, share videos and suggest topics for Drew Carey’s upcoming documentaries. For more information, please visit www.reason.tv.

About Reason Foundation

Reason Foundation is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing free minds and free markets. Reason Foundation produces respected public policy research on a variety of issues and publishes the critically acclaimed monthly magazine, Reason, and its website www.reason.com. For more information, please visit www.reason.org.

Contact

Chris Mitchell, Director of Communications, Reason Foundation, (310) 367-6109