An Appels Court in the Netherlands has ruled that poker is predominately a game of chance and organized poker tournaments outside of state-sanctioned casinos are illegal under the country’s gambling laws.
The case involved the organizers of a regular Texas Hold-em tournament held in Bussum between 2005 and 2007.
Lawyers for the defendants argued that poker is a game of skill. Though luck can play a role in the cards players receive, a skilled player can still influence the game despite the cards, lawyers said.
The Dutch tax office also accepts professional poker as a profession and should be classified as a sport, according to the tournament’s organizers.
The court, however, ruled that Dutch law defines games of chance, or gambling as “every game in which the probability of winning depends on chance, even if the probability increases with more proficiency or greater skill of the player.”
In poker, no matter how skilled the players, the fall of the cards cannot be influenced. Poker is therefore a gambling game, the court ruled.
Under Dutch law, only the state own casino group Holland Casino is licensed to organize poker tournaments.
