French Court Ruling to Change Observation of Poker

Texas Hold'Em assessed to be a game of skill more than chance A ruling that shook the online poker industry this week was passed by the French Criminal Court of First Instance in Toulouse in a case where Jean-Pierre Gleizes, manager of "Les Coulisses” and others were charged with organizing private poker competitions in public venues without a license. Namely, the court opined that Texas Hold'Em poker is a game more of skill than chance, supporting the defense position, after hearing expert evidence from a professional poker player, national champions in bridge and chess, and a professor of mathematics who is also a poker player. Such a distinction is very important for the industry, because, as a game of skill, online poker is not in general terms subject to gambling laws. As a result of the ruling, the prosecution has filed an appeal to the Conseil d'Etat (Supreme Court), which will most likely annul the decision. However, if it gets along, the consequences could be the following: since poker would no longer fall under the games covered by the French Online Gaming Bill, operators would be able to avoid licensing, fees and taxes; live poker rooms at casinos and cardrooms would suffer a significant blow; the income from the game would become 100 percent taxable.