B.C. poker host get $2,300 ticket for having too many players in pandemic

A Saanich poker party host is on the hook for a $2,300 ticket for having a party that included more than six guests this past weekend.

Saanich RCMP issued the ticket to a homeowner who was hosting a poker party with more than six guests inside of their residence on Saturday, Nov. 14, according to Const. Markus Anastasiades, public relations officer, in a media release.

At approximately 10 a.m. officers went to a home in the Broadmead area of Saanich to investigate reports of several people gathering at the residence that were suspected of not living there. When officers attended, they found seven people sitting around a table playing poker in the garage. When they spoke to the homeowner, it was discovered that none of the seven guests, including three additional people inside the residence, lived there, according to the RCMP.

All 10 guests left and the homeowner was issued a violation ticket under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act in contravention of the Gathering and Events Order related to holding an event at a private residence with more than six guests who do not live there, according to the RCMP.

This was not the first time officers had attended this home to investigate contraventions of Provincial Health Orders. At the end of October, police attended the home for a similar report and provided education and a verbal warning on the orders that were in place at that time, according to the RCMP.

“We will continue to investigate reports related to the Provincial Health Orders currently in place and we hope that incidents such as this create community awareness and encourage compliance of the measures the province has put in place to keep us safe,” Anastasiades said in the press release.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.