In poker-related news, the appeal verdict has come back in the "Gutshot case". It was reported a few days ago - I believe it was delivered simply as a written ruling.
I attended the appeal hearing back in November. It was well argued for the defence, I thought, but it was always likely to be an uphill struggle to actually win the appeal.
If the appeal had been successful it would certainly have been a real landmark result. As the appeal failed, this is far less significant. This is especially true since the law has been changed subsequently, albeit the new Act is not dramatically different.
Poker is hardly mentioned in the law itself. It does not appear to have been drafted with poker in mind one way or the other, really. It mainly seems to want to deal with gaming (against the house). One of the real problems is that there isn't really any sensible provision for poker.
In any event, there is some possibility of an appeal to the House of Lords - that would be very interesting ! I daresay they would give a really considered verdict, although I am equally sure that the press reporting of the case - should it go that far - would be as ill-informed and trite as ever.
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