A recent ruling of the Israeli Supreme Court could open the door to legislation legalizing poker in the country.
Supreme Court Judge Neal Hendel recently ruled that poker is clearly a game o skill, and that “the fact the players go to contests and tournaments year after year” strengthens the opinion that poker is not just a game of chance.
Sharren Haskel, a member of Israel’s Likud Party, wasted no time following the ruling, introducing a bill to legalize poker, which has been treated as games of chance under a law that provides penalties of up to three years in prison for organizing a poker tournament and up to a year for playing in one.
Haskel’s bill would redefine poker and remove it from the classification of a gambling game. Passage would lead to the creation of regulations for the Israeli Poker Players Association and allow the group to organize tournaments at both the national and the international level with oversight provided by the country’s Finance Ministry.
The bill is now being considered by the Knesset. In presenting her bill, Haskel commented that prominent Israeli poker payers already compete internationally, and bring respect and pride to the state in those competitions. “Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that poker players are sportsmen and not gamblers, they should be permitted to practice on their home turf,” she commented to Calvinayre.com.
