U.K. Pubs Now Open for Poker Players
will allow any pub or tavern to offer its patrons the opportunity to play poker. Currently, only pubs with a "special permit" from their local council offer the card games.
Potential losses may be limited to about £10 a night -- or $20 -- experts said. But this has not been finalized yet.
The U.K. culture department said in a statement: “The government does not believe permitting people to play poker in pubs for very small stakes -- a few pounds per head -- puts at risk any of the three objectives of the Gambling Act: protecting the vulnerable, keeping out crime and keeping games fair.”
The new policy comes amid an increase in popularity in poker in the U.K. Research there suggests as many as 5.8 million people now gamble online; other studies estimate an average of £1,000 a year is staked on Internet gambling, much of it on poker. Pub owners are lobbying the government so they can get a part of that profit, or even grow the profitability of poker, considered a game of skill by experts in the field.
World Leader in Gambling
The Labour Party wants to turn Britain into a “world leader” in the gambling field. The Gambling Act 2005 is going to lift the ban on online gaming businesses being based in the U.K., starting next year.Government ministers say they also intend to use the Gambling Act as a "platform" to foster offshore Internet gambling firms to to base themselves in Britain Latest estimates say that as many as six million people are now gambling on the Internet every month in the U.K. Pubs could set up computers for users to play poker against others online too, under the new rules.
Although only “low” stakes or prizes are allowed today, there is no clear definition of what this actually means, though, it has resulted in a policy that has gamblers in most pub poker games play for "points," rather than cash.
But, under the new Gambling Act, pubs will no longer require a special permit for the games, and the other restrictions will be removed as well.
Many pubs are already establishing "national poker leagues" in the hope that holding regular events will provide a boost to bar sales.
The British Beer and Pub Association will make a plea for expanded gambling, as the Department for Culture, Media and Sports consults with the industry on the new act.
The act allows exceptions for certain activities in pubs and clubs and the BBPA hope smallstakes poker games will be included in this category.
"We may need some framework in which we can play poker in pubs without falling foul of the law," said Martin Rawlings, director of pubs and leisure for the BBPA. "It's quite conceivable that we might have a voluntary code."
© Copyright 2006 Online Casino Crawler This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
0 Comments
0 Trackbacks
