Switzerland cracking down on poker outside casino

The Swiss government has announced to have changed their gambling laws. From now on, poker in Switzerland is categorized as a game of chance. The Supreme Court in the country has determined this in a lawsuit in which high-stakes poker tournaments outside the casino are banned.

If the Supreme Court had ruled that poker is a game of skill, organized private poker tournaments to continue. But the court said that luck plays a much larger role to win than calculation, tactics and psychology. The decision of the Supreme Court will not be welcomed by the growing group of poker players in the country as they were able to enjoy the freedom to play poker events in Swiss restaurants, bars and hotels for years. The poker tournaments on TV and the Internet are also becoming more popular with fans of the game in the country.

The decision of the Supreme Court is the result of an appeal by Swiss Casinos of a lower court ruling, that Texas hold ‘em is a game of skill and therefore can be played everywhere. Playing poker at home with friends or colleagues can continue, even if it is played for money. The debate of Texas Hold ‘em if it is a game of chance or not is held around the world. There have been many lawsuits to determine whether poker must be categorised as a game of chance, a Pennsylvania court ruled that poker should be viewed as chance because the game is more dependent on luck than skill. Many professional poker players and online casino gamblers disagree with this, they say that the fact that the top poker players are ranked proves luck is only a minor factor, because the best players in the world are able to hold their position, which would be impossible if the game was one of chance. Also there are many studies that contradict the ruling.

Swiss gambling laws restrict games of luck such as roulette, blackjack and slot machines to licensed casinos. The casinos in Switzerland pay a heavy tax of 50 percent on profits. Online casinos and any online gambling is illegal in the country. A spokesman for the casinos said private organizers of poker tournaments do not pay those taxes. He said a parallel industry was created that did not have the same rules as the casinos. According to the casino owners, this gave an unfair competition for the private organizers. The decision of the Supreme Court can not be challenged.

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