Results Unclear of Israel Poker Tournament Hearing

The saga continues with the Israel Poker Authority’s attempts to get the green light for its annual poker tournament which is to kick off this Sunday in Tel Aviv.

According to The Jerusalem Post, a court hearing yesterday made no solid decisions on the event, but a ruling is said to be handed down within a few days. For now, the IPA will have to go ahead with its plans to hold the tournament in the fairgrounds despite the refusal of its request for a written authorisation from the police.

An attorney representing the IPA said that it has always been allowed to hold the tournament, but that this year the police were forbidding it on the grounds that poker is a prohibited game. According to the Penal Law, this is one in which “a person may win money, valuable consideration or a benefit according to the results of the game, those results depending more on chance than on understanding or ability.”

The IPA argued that the game of poker does not fit into this category and that the tournament does not involve gambling because those taking part must pay a set fee of NIS 1,350 and no other money is involved. The police still refused to give authorisation but all is not over.

The Law also states in Article 230 that these prohibited games can be played if they meet three criteria — the game must be restricted to a specific group of people; it should not go beyond amusement or entertainment; and it cannot be held where forbidden games are played.

The State’s representative, Gilad Shirman, put a slight kibosh on that, stating that the venue could be closed if it is concluded that “its continued existence may adversely affect public welfare or the well-being of the area’s inhabitants, or that it may lead to criminal behavior, including the conduct of a prohibited game”.

The justices pointed out that there was nothing holding the IPA back from hosting the event once it stuck to the law. However, the many ins and outs of the law ensure the Authority is currently stuck between a rock and a hard place until a clear decision is made.

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