Poker is a Game of Skill According to a South Carolina Judge
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), which is one of the leading poker groups with over 1 million members un the United States, recently applauded the recent ruling by a court in the state of South Carolina, which confirmed the poker is a game of skill rather than one of luck. Because of this the court believes that playing poker online should not be illegal.
Executive Director of the PPA John Pappas recently stated, “Poker is not a crime in South Carolina or anywhere else, and we are grateful to the court for compiling the overwhelming evidence that proves this case and protects the rights of players. This ruling is fully consistent with the declarations of other judges and juries across the country that Texas Hold’em is clearly a game of predominant skill and adults who play should not be criminalized.”
There were five people that had been convicted of gambling illegally and the court found that poker is a game of skill, but they left the main ruling to a higher court to find if the South Carolina gambling laws were unclear. The higher court agreed with the lower court and because of that the convictions of the five people were reversed. Besides stating the laws dealing with gambling were very unclear, as the old law could have made it illegal for any home gambling game, the court took to heart the though in the poker world that poker is a skill game and not one of luck. The court evidence, and overwhelming evidence at that, cited that skill dominated chance in poker.
The South Carolina State Director of the Poker Players Alliance, John Ridgeway, stated, “All poker players are well aware that the game is based on making the correct, informed decisions, not just mere chance, and games of predominant skill should not be classified in the same league as slot machines or lotteries. We’re very pleased that the judge considered the overwhelming evidence and came to the same conclusion. This is a well deserved legal victory for the players, the American game of poker, and for common sense under the law.”
The Litigation Support Network of the PPA has taken part in a few legal victories, as they provided expert witnesses, helped prepare trial arguments, and they filed various amicus briefs in the poker court cases. You can find out more info on the recent poker cases that the PPA has taken part in as well as the judge in South Carolina court order by visiting www.theppa.org.
Even though this case was overturned in South Carolina and there is growing support in Congress to overturn the UIGEA it may be a long shot that online gambling will be legalized anytime soon. Barney Frank has a Bill proposed that will legalize and regulate Internet gambling that would bring in billions of revenues to the U.S. Government. However, with so many other more important matters in the U.S. such as the economy, health care, and Afghanistan, Congress will put the online gambling issue on the backburner, at least for now.
