US Attorney General Suggests Poker is a Game of Skill
May 5, 2011
US Attorney General Eric Holder, who stands behind the government shutdown of online poker sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and UB.com, has actually questioned whether or not poker is a game of chance or one of skill.
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Holder suggested at a House Judiciary Committee hearing that certain laws that pertain to Internet poker must be enforced and that this was exactly what US authorities did when they forced the big three online poker brands to step out of the US market forever. He claims they were simply upholding the laws that restricted banking institutions from facilitating online transactions that were for the purpose of online gambling. The FBI took down the aforementioned online poker sites last month for allowing these illegal transactions and hiding them as retail trades.
However, when Holder was asked about his stance on poker, he refused to comment on whether or not he believed it was a game of chance or a game of skill. He was then asked if he thought Phil Ivey was merely lucky, and Holder admitted that although he did not play poker, nor know Ivey, he did in fact think that poker contains a certain level of skill.
Holder further commented that it was on Congress to make clear the laws regarding online poker and translate them accordingly. But with the current laws regarding online gambling in place, authorities were going to have to be held responsible for upholding the laws through enforcement and execution of the legislature.
While the Feds have stood firmly on their stance towards online poker in the US, they may be forced into action in the future to revise the laws in order to keep the peace and keep illegal online gambling in the US at bay. In addition, clarification of the UIGEA would also be required before any future Internet poker indictments could be served in the US.
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