Poker trial gets underway
A Crown Court jury got a free lesson in Poker when the trial of a London licensee who is challenging UK gambling laws got underway at Snaresbrook.
Derek Kelly, 46, is charged with two offences relating to organising poker games and charging a fee to play or taking a cut of the pot at his Gutshot venue in Clerkenwell Road.
He hopes to persuade a jury that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and therefore he should not need a licence.
I anticipate during the course of this trial you will have, as it were, a free short tuition in what poker is all aboutProsecuting QC Graham Trembath
Prosecuting QC Graham Trembath argued that by shuffling the cards an element of chance is introduced into the game.
He told jurors: "This case is all about poker. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I do not know of course whether any of you are familiar with playing poker, what poker involves, the rules of poker.
"Some of you may know what it is all about, some of you may not.
"Well, I anticipate during the course of this trial you will have, as it were, a free short tuition in what poker is all about."
Today, the jury heard evidence from three police officers who were given poker training at a London casino so they could enter the Gutshot in an undercover operation.
They also heard from an inspector from the Gambling Commission who met Kelly.
The licensee told him he wanted his day in court to prove that poker was a game of skill.
If he is successful, licensees could create a new revenue stream by hosting poker games and charging a levy on players and winnings.
If he is unsuccessful he could face a fine or imprisonment under the 1968 Gaming Act.
The trial continues.
