Saskatchewan Government Declares Poker as Chance
Written by Roger S | Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Despite that fact that top analysts have declared without a doubt that poker is a game of skill that cannot be won if the player does not have the relevant skill-levels and knowledge of the game, the Saskatchewan Provincial government begs to differ.
In a new responsible gaming campaign launched by the government of this Canadian province, new ads claim that poker is a game of chance and not, as the “gambling myths” state, a game of skill.
This new line of argument indicates a change in the way the government is promoting safe gambling. Instead of previous years where the ads warned players about gambling problems, the latest campaign attacks ‘myths’, including the fact that poker is a game of skill.
“Poker is marketed as a game of skill and we wanted to challenge the idea that it’s a game of skill,” said Rick Kilarski, a director in the Health Ministry’s Community Care division. “There is an element of skill, but if it was all skill you’d see more repeat winners at the World Series of Poker.”
Essentially, the Saskatchewan government is arguing that since we haven’t seen many repeat winners in the World Series of Poker in many years, this must indicate that poker is a game of chance. The fact that the popularity of poker has grown so much that there is tougher competition out there does not seem to enter the equation of this argument.
“Poker is played for fun, but if people have gone past that point where it’s the sole source of income, there is a problem,” declared Don McMorris, health minister of the province, thereby delegitimizing in one swoop all the tax-paying, professional and, yes, skilled poker players in North America and around the world.
Poker is not the only game targeted in the new responsible gaming campaign. The ads also attack VLT’s and slots, lumping them together with poker.
“We are not anti-gambling, but we want people to know the myths so they can make informed choices,” said Kilarski. “These aren’t games of skill, they’re games of chance. It’s a form of entertainment.”
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· Written by Roger S · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
