HOUSTON, May 20 (UPI) -- One of the largest U.S. charities canceled a Texas Hold'em fundraiser expected to bring in $300,000, out of fear Houston police would bust the event.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation last week bowed out of its planned Reliant Park $500-per-head gala after the district attorney's office suggested anyone involved would be breaking the law, the Houston Chronicle reported.
"There are quirky laws on the books of every state," said Assistant District Attorney Marc Brown. "This is just high profile because it involves a very popular and worthwhile charity."
"(Poker) is a hot issue because of the World Poker Tour and the popularization of poker now that it's televised every day," said Markus Kypreos, a research attorney for the Texas County and District Attorneys Association. "But just because something has become popular doesn't mean it's necessarily legal."
