States have the right to enforce gambling laws, even if the defendant calls it something else.
It is the same argument that a "sovereign citizen". The "I do not recognize your law" kind of stupidity. The only reason they have not been long in prison is corruption at the highest level at the White House.
Do they?
If the federal government says it's not gambling, then does a state get to say it is?
States can't just override federal law with their own laws.