Committee Approves Move To Regulate “Millionaire Parties”

Charitable groups are lauding a Michigan Senate committee following the panel’s approval of a measure codifying existing rules that regulate so-called “millionaire parties.”

Those fund raising events, which often feature the popular Texas Hold’em poker games, have been a boon in recent years for charitable organizations.

But they’ve complained recently about being over regulated and inconsistently regulated by the state. The legislation approved Wednesday by the Michigan Senate Regulatory affairs committee, puts so-called “emergency rules” in to state law. The charitable groups say this will at least create consistent regulations they can live with.

Critics of the games have said some events have gotten out of hand, and other times are not even raising money for charitable groups.

But Joe Potvin of Lansing VFW Post 6132 says recently they have gone month to month “wondering what the next regulatory issue is going to be” making it difficult to hold fund raising events.