Poker and the Law: Is It a Game of Skill or Chance and Legally Does It Matter?

The article discusses the legal ramifications of whether poker counts as a game of skill or chance. In a suit brought by the gambling club the Joker Club, North Carolina courts ruled that because chance was a dominant factor of the game, poker qualified as a game of skill and was therefore illegal under state gambling statutes. Derek Kelly, operator of the gambling company Gutshot Ltd., was arrested on gambling charges in Britain but argued the British Gaming Act of 1968, which prohibits games of chance, did not apply to poker. French legislation determined that poker is a game of chance if played for money. Canadian law is ambiguous regarding the legality of Internet poker games but does allow advertising of Internet poker.