Good Legal News for Poker
Posted in Enjoy, Free Games + More, Online Casino on March 4th, 2010More good news on the legal front for us online poker players. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members, today said it expressed “cautious optimism” with a ruling in a South Carolina, U.S. poker case and applauded the Court’s findings that poker is a game of skill, not chance. Though disappointed with the Court’s initial conclusion that the defendants had committed a crime, the PPA expects to prevail on further review. “We are humbled by Judge Duffy’s thoughtful decision and applaud the effort put forth by the legal team defending these casino online players,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA in a statement. “The positive language in this ruling comes on heels of other key legal victories for the rights of poker players in Kentucky, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. It’s becoming quite clear the legal community agrees that this great American pastime is a game of predominant skill, not luck, and should not be considered gambling under the law.” The defendants were charged with playing cards in a “house used as a place of gaming” and under South Carolina law, the term “gaming” means “gambling.” The PPA argued that the Court should adopt the rulings of other courts that gambling refers to a game in which the outcome is determined predominantly by chance, not by skill. The PPA provided for expert testimony, making the compelling case that poker is a game of skill involving the making of correct decisions rather that mere chance, and therefore not illegal gambling. The South Carolina Court found that testimony persuasive and found that poker is a game of skill. Hooray!