Supreme Court Delivers Swiss Poker Verdict

The Swiss poker scene joins that of the ongoing American gambling restrictions, with the Swiss Supreme Court ruling this month that poker is a game of chance and should only be played at a casino. The Court reviewed opinions by experts from both sides of the arguments, but made its final decision to ban land-based and online poker, with the only exception being casinos and private homes.

The ones pushing for the ban were suggesting that poker is a game of luck and that strategy, position and bluffing play no part in winnings. On the other hand, poker supporters, experts and fans tried their best to prove that poker does not depend on sheer luck, but is more a game of skill and supplied several examples to back their statements.

One of these examples included a 2009 study by Cigital Inc. and PokerStars, who analyzed 100 million hands over a month, and came to the conclusion than only a quarter of the hands played actually lasts until the showdown and that the best hand managed to win only one-third of the time.

Another well-known piece of evidence was Annette Oberstad’s online victory over 180 people in a sit-n-go tournament, when she won the first place prize without even looking at her hole cards.

It seems evident, however, that the Court’s rulings are in favor of taxes rather than logical evidence and arguments. The amount of tax the land-based casinos pay to the Swiss government each year is a huge revenue raiser and will just increase with the current bans and regulations.