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A Danish municipal court in the district of Lyngby has ruled that poker tournaments do not contravene Danish gaming laws, reports the Copenhagen Post. “Poker is not merely a game of chance but also requires skill and is therefore legitimate competition.”
Following the ruling, the president of the Danish Poker Association, Frederik Hostrup, was acquitted of charges of arranging illegal gambling events. Hostrup had been sued by hotel and restaurant trade organization Horesta on behalf of the nation’s land casinos. The ruling goes against a decision by the Justice Ministry’s legal affairs committee in 2006, which then concluded that poker constituted illegal gambling.
Henrik Hoffmann, Hostrup’s attorney, told the Politiken newspaper that Friday’s ruling legitimizes poker, which has become immensely popular in Denmark over the past couple years. “Poker has become a favorite sport of the people,” he said. “There are between 200,000 and 300,000 Danes who play poker at least once a week and more than half a million who play regularly.”
According to Danish criminal law, illegal gambling constitutes games or competitions where the organizer “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 if you are clever enough to hide your strategy, even though you might have a poor hand,” he said.
Erik Jensen, spokesperson for Horesta, was disappointed and surprised by the ruling. “Every time you play for money, the risks of becoming a gambling addict increase. Research has shown that there are some 85,000 Danes who are potential addicts, which is why these precautionary measures are so important,” he said.
If the ruling is to be appealed, it must be lodged within the next 14 days.
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