Danish Court Says Poker is Legal Since Skill Is Involved

A municipal court in the suburb of Lyngby Denmark declared that poker is not merely a game of chance but also requires skill, and is therefore legitimate competition, reports the Copenhagen Post on the ruling made last Friday.

The ruling acquitted the president of the Danish Poker Association, Frederik Hostrup, of charges of arranging illegal gambling events. Hostrup had been sued by hotel and restaurant trade organization Horesta on behalf of the nation's brick and mortar casinos.

The ruling goes against a decision made by the Justice Ministry's legal affairs committee in 2006, which concluded that poker constituted illegal gambling.

Hostrup's attorney, Henrik Hoffmann, told Politiken newspaper that Friday's ruling legitimizes poker, which has become immensely popular over the past couple years.

"Poker has become a sport of the people," he said, adding, "There are between 200,000 and 300,000 Danes who play poker at least once a week and more than half a million who now play regularly."

Illegal gambling is, according to Danish criminal law, games or competitions where the organiser "attempts to achieve a commercial economic gain".

Hoffmann said poker is more about betting wisely, playing smart and getting the other players to think you have different cards than those you actually have in your hands.

"You can win in poker based on being clever enough to hide your strategy, even though you might have a fairly poor hand," he said.

Horesta spokesperson Erik Jensen was disappointed and surprised by the ruling.

"Anytime you play for money, the risk for becoming a gambling addict increases," he said. "Research has shown that there are some 85,000 Danes who are potential addicts, which is why these precautionary measures are so important."

Prosecutors have 14 days to decide whether to appeal the ruling.

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