Real world and online poker not illegal, says court
A municipal court in Denmark has ruled that poker tournaments, frequently held in real-world and online casinos, do not break Danish gaming laws.
The court in the district of Lyngby ruled that poker was a legitimate form of competition in both online casinos and their bricks-and-mortar equivalents, since both off and online poker required an element of skill in order to succeed.
The ruling was given in the case of Frederik Hostrup, the president of the Danish Poker Association, in his legal battle against a hotel and restaurant organisation, who sued him for allegedly arranging illegal gaming events.
The decision, in favour of Hostrup, goes against a ruling by the Danish legal affairs committee in 2006, which concluded that poker, whether played in real-world or online casinos, is an illegal form of gaming. Hostup’s attorney told Politiken newspaper that the ruling had legitimised poker in the country, both in off and online casinos. He said:
"Poker has become a sport of the people. There are between 200,000 and 300,000 Danes who play poker at least once a week and more than half a million who now play regularly."
Poker, in both its real-world and online casino forms has become exceptionally popular in the Scandinavian country over the past decade and despite the 2006 ruling is a common pastime for gamers in Denmark. Danish gamers play poker and other games in both real-world and online casinos and the ruling looks set to legitimise their pastime.
Hostrup’s attorney stated that he thought the ruling would legitimise poker in the country. He said that poker in online casinos and real-world casinos was a game of skill and pointed out that players have to understand the tactics involved, whether playing in online casinos or in bricks-and-mortar ones, in order to succeed financially.