Russia Says Poker Tourneys are Sport- Are They Exempt from Gambling Bill?

A landmark decision to classify Poker tournaments as an official sports competition instead of a Gambling game was made by the Russian Sports Minister for the "Federal agency of physical culture and sport", Slava Fetisov, on March 16, 2007.

The decision is most significant because it may permit poker tournaments to be exempt from falling under the Gambling bill sponsored by President Putin and passed last November to tighten controls on casino gambling and ultimately ban casino gambling except in four special zones beginning 2009 (click here to read related PokerPages article).

It could also mean that casinos may no longer have to pay $4,800 per poker table per month, on top of wages and complimentary food and drinks provided, which makes it very expensive to offer poker games, as a Russian Pokernetwork forum writer pointed out, which could lead to a poker boom.

Of more immediate concern to poker in Russia, the Gambling bill has a July 2007 date to have shut down any gambling business with net assets below 600 million rubles and any casino smaller than 800 square meters, many of which host poker games.

So the important question yet to be officially answered is:

"Will poker tournaments and by extension all commercial poker games become exempt from the new Gambling Bill and escape being banished to the four fringes of Russian-sanctioned Casino Gambling Zones?"

A secondary question posed in several forums is: "Why would the Russian government forgo making money off poker tournaments- where is the catch?"

So the full story has yet to be heard.

With a nod towards the United States' attempt to shut down internet gambling for US residents with passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), one observant poker player in a 2+2 forum noted that Russia and the United States seem to have changed roles and asked, "Which country regulates and which is free?"

The re-classification of poker tournaments as a Russian sport event resulted largely from the lobbying efforts of Dmitry Lesnoy, gaming writer, popular poker tournament director, and President representing the Russian Sport Poker Federation, a public organization created 5 months ago to promote poker in Russia.

The Sport Poker Federation was formed shortly after passage of the Russian Gambling bill last November which many poker players feared might mean the end of poker in Russia.

A Russian "Sport Poker Federation" conference was held 18 November 2006 in Moscow, and was attended by over 200 people representing 50 Russian regions, as fulltiltrussia news reported. Attendees unanimously adopted the Russian Sport Poker Federation charter and elected Dmitry Lesnoy President of the new public organization, and Vladimir Ivanchenko as Honourable President.

The major goal of the Federation was to see poker recognized as a sport on a government level. Other goals include poker propaganda and popularization of poker, establishing high aesthetic and sport norms and standards, organizing poker tournaments with specific emphasis on the sporting element, creating players rating system, organizing poker schools, nurturing young talent, and searching for sponsors.

During the Sports Ministry hearing on poker, Lesnoy made presentations about the history of poker and the competitions conducted in Russia for many years. He appealed that poker is an 'intellectual game' with widespread, mass-market interest requiring much skill.

"It is so pleasant," commented Lesnoy, "that with the general background of persecution from the government towards gambling, the state still revealed wisdom and agreed with a factor, that poker can not belong to the category of gambling. It is a sport!"

Lesnoy hopes that the Sport Poker Federation will continue to support the growth of poker in Russia.

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