Recently, a major decision given by a French court has taken everyone by surprise. All these days, poker was considered to be a game of chance or luck but this new decision by the French court is bound to make everybody think twice before they play poker in future. The French court has declared in a case that poker is a game of skill and not a game of chance. It is being considered similar to other games of skill like craps and blackjack.
Impact of the ruling on earlier cases
Poker is one of the popular games played by many both in the regular land based casinos as well as online casinos. Many poker players still believe that poker requires a lot of skill and is not just a game of chance. The decision of the French Court has just reaffirmed the belief of the players. The court’s ruling is exactly the reverse of decisions given in earlier cases. Many years ago, in cases related to poker, it was always ruled that poker was a game of chance. This new decision is expected reverse the decision of all previous cases.
Impact of this decision on Online casinos
Laws concerning online gambling in France refer to poker as a game of chance. Online casino sites contain language that refers to poker as a game of chance. This decision of the French court is expected to have a great impact on the online gaming community. All these years, online sites have been offering poker under the category of games of chance.
Very shortly, the French Government is likely to appeal against the decision of the French Court. If the government succeeds, then, online casinos providers can easily open up gaming sites without any kind of license. Online poker sites can easily attract many players and they need not pay current taxes as well.
The French Government’s Future Plans
Proactively, the French government is also planning to amend its laws with a provision for making poker a game of skill. By including poker as a game of skill, it will allow the French Poker Pros to claim any amount that has been won as income which attracts tax. A lot of changes are expected to happen in the long run with this major decision by the French Court.
However, there are lot of people who are arguing against the decision. Many players involved in skill games like chess players, mathematics professors and also bridge players are against considering poker as a game of skill. They are now questioning the very concept of skill and its importance. Chess players who believe that skill is the main aspect of the game of chess are not ready to accept poker as a skill game. Very soon, the French government’s proposal is expected to end this argument.