Poker Ruling From Dutch Court

Poker Ruling From Dutch Court

Wednesday, 9 March 2016

An appeals court in The Netherlands has waded into the long-running luck-versus-skill debate when it comes to poker by ruling that three men who organised tournaments between 2005 and 2007 had indeed broke the law.

Current laws prohibit any entity other than state-owned operator Holland Casino from running poker competitions but the trio, who had arranged bar tournaments in the Amsterdam suburb of Bussum, defended their actions by arguing that the game was more about skill than luck.

This defence worked with lower courts in 2010 and 2014 but the Court Of Appeals ruled against the men last week and stated that poker was a game of luck as any outcome depends on which cards a player is dealt.

Two of the defendants were subsequently ordered to pay fines of €1,250 ($1,369) each for organising illegal tournaments while the bar owner was penalised to the tune of €500 ($547). However, the court then suspended these charges due to the fact that case had taken so long to be settled.



Tags: The Netherlands, Holland Casino, Bussum