The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York has made a ruling that every poker player can be happy about: poker is a game of skill and not an illegal gambling activity.
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has played a very important role in helping the court make this decision by providing the court with background information on the rules and nature of poker and arguments proving that it truly is a skill-based game. This helped judge Jack Weinstein get to the right decision.
This has been the first ruling made by a federal court on whether poker is illegal gambling. Jack Weinstein said the following about the issue:
“Neither the text of the IGBA nor its legislative history demonstrate that Congress designed the statute to cover all state gambling offenses. Nor does the definition of ‘gambling’ include games, such as poker, which are predominated by skill.”
We are very happy about the decision, and hope that the United States Congress will soon come to a similar decision, making it possible to create a regulated market in the United States.
You can read the PPA’s brief in full by clicking on this link (The ruling was made during the case of Mr. Lawrence Dicristina, accused of organizing illegal games in his warehouse).
