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UK Poker League Sues British Police
Mon, Apr 2nd, 2007 @ 12:00am
Nuts Poker League, which organizes poker in pubs across the UK, has launched legal action March 23 against West Mercia Police claiming that the police misled pubs about the legality of League poker games, causing it to lose earnings.
The case centres on a letter that was sent to pub licensees by the police last December warning them they could lose their licence if they continued to host poker games.
In the letter, West Mercia Police stated that under the 1968 Gaming Act, pubs must have a licence to host poker games, as reported by the trade publication The Publican.
But Nuts Poker League games are run solely to increase regular pub business using points and not cash prizes, so there is no monetary rake. Nuts Poker League maintains these games are legal.
In the opinion of the UK Gaming Commission, it is technically in a grey area under the Gaming Act.
The League claims the letters were misleading and caused some pubs to cancel their league events, unfairly costing both the pubs and the League revenue.
"We have seen substantial growth [in poker] in many areas of the country, but there has been a downturn in the West Mercia region," Steve Bellis, Nuts Poker League managing director said to The Publican. He added that though the League has launched proceedings, it still hopes that the police may settle out of court.
The rules requiring pubs to get a license to offer poker will change September 2007 when the 2005 Gambling Act comes into force, allowing equal chance gaming, which includes poker, in pubs. However, poker games will be subject to a number of restrictions, including a limit on stakes and prizes (click here to read related PokerPages article).
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said she knew nothing about the legal action but added: "A complaint has been lodged with the Independent Police Complaints Commission in relation to this matter."
She added, "Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the force to comment further until this complex issue has been resolved."
Other recent UK pub poker incidents include last week's sentencing of Gutshot Poker Club owner Derek Kelly. He was sentenced and fined 10,000 pounds from his earlier conviction in a landmark trial that judged that Texas Hold'em is a game of chance, not skill, under the 1968 Gaming Act (click here to read related PokerPages article).
Meantime, late February, Dusk Till Dawn submitted its application to Nottingham council for their April 2007 hearing for permission to be the UK's first ever 'Poker Only' Club. (click here to read related PokerPages article).
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