Russia Says Poker Tourneys are Sport- Are They Exempt from Gambling Bill?
A landmark decision to classify Poker tournaments as an official sports competition instead of a Gambling game was made by the Russian Sports Minister for the “Federal agency of physical culture and sport”, Slava Fetisov, on March 16, 2007.
The decision is most significant because it may permit poker tournaments to be exempt from falling under the Gambling bill sponsored by President Putin and passed last November to tighten controls on casino gambling and ultimately ban casino gambling except in four special zones beginning 2009 (click here to read related PokerPages article)
