The decision prompted some Dewey citizens to ask: “Why not ban gambling altogether?”

“I think we’re being a little oversensitive,” said property owner Marcia Shieck. “Charitable gambling is getting to be a year-round, for-profit event.”

The point was originally raised by property owner Larry Silver, who said charitable gambling wasn’t too common in Dewey anyway. His suggestion found traction. “I’m afraid if we give them a foothold in Dewey Beach, they’ll spread,” said property owner Carol Haley.

Commissioner Diane Hanson said there was little preventing a business like Poker at the Beach, a gambling parlor that hosts card games for charity, from moving into an empty Dewey Beach storefront.

Hanson later said gambling establishments are perceived as magnets for criminal behavior; the ordinance was designed not to hamstring charitable efforts, but to safeguard Dewey from crime.

Town attorney Glenn Mandalas said banning gambling in Dewey would require a charter change, which would need approval from the state Legislature. Hanson said she didn’t find this hurdle encouraging. “The General Assembly is pretty pro-gambling right now,” she said.

During the hearing, citizens suggested a number of measures to strengthen the ordinance, including limiting gambling events to six hours, restricting it to the off-season and requiring that it be conducted by nonprofit organizations. Hanson said they would be added to a modified ordinance and proposed at the Saturday, Aug. 21 town council meeting.

West Street resident Anna Legates suggested passing a temporary ban on charitable gaming for the purposes of collecting information; Shieck suggested instituting the strictest rules possible if they didn’t impose a moratorium. “If you don’t think they’re looking at Dewey Beach, your head’s in the sand,” she said in reference to nonprofit poker parlors.

Chip Thompson, an owning partner with Poker at the Beach, said he isn’t looking to expand – in fact, he said, he fully supports Dewey’s ordinance.

“If they are worried about competition going in there, we would be worried about the same thing,” he said. “It’s a small market we have here.” As for the six-hour restriction, Thompson said, that limit already exists at the state level.

After one year of being open, Thompson said Poker at the Beach hasn’t attracted any criminal element.

“Everyone who comes in here knows what the rules are,” he said. Bets have a $150 limit; $2 blackjack is more for fun, he said, than real gambling.

“It’s a friendly environment,” Thompson said. “After this first year, it’s almost a family in here. Everybody knows everybody. It’s fun, and I’m sure it could be misconstrued if you’ve never been in.”

Poker at the Beach supports 34 organizations, including The Children’s Beach House in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company. Last year, Thompson said, the business donated over $180,000 to its sponsored organizations. Dewey Commissioner Zeke Przygocki said he supported the ordinance as worded, but he praised Poker at the Beach for the organization’s efforts.

While Poker at the Beach is a for-nonprofit business, Thompson said they don’t make money hand over fist. “There simply isn’t the market down here,” he said. “It’s a niche, it’s a fun place, but it’s not a big, booming casino. Frankly, the area couldn’t handle more than one.”

Poker at the Beach hosts card games for nonprofit organizations, which keep all proceeds. A $150 loss cap exists for all players. Events hosted by nonprifits in 2009 raised $118,000.