Following the bill submitted to the Knesset last month, today (Tuesday) the Education, Culture and Sports Committee held a discussion regarding the regulation of poker as a sport, as published in ONE. The discussion was chaired by the committee’s chairman, Sharan Hashakel, who submitted the bill and is working on the issue with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Homeland Security and representatives of the Poker Association taking part in the discussion.
MK, Sheeran Hashakel, Opened the committee and said: “Already in the 20th Knesset I wanted to promote the poker series as a legitimate sport. “Poker is considered all over the world as a very prestigious sport, with world championships followed by millions of people. Poker players bring honor to the country in the competitions in which they participate. “
MK Hashkel noted that the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that a game of poker is not a game of chance if certain conditions are met and when the game is played several times and not in a single game – then the skills and understanding significantly outweigh the element of luck. Income tax is subject to full taxation as a person whose occupation was playing poker regularly and who won considerable sums of money. Chairman Sharan called on the Ministry of Finance to reopen the discussion on the issue and decide whether it was a profession or gambling. “If you stand behind the statement that it’s a gamble, do not dissolve the players as if it were a profession,” said the intellect. Yoav Hecht from the Ministry of Finance responded: “I understand the difficulty, and it may well be that it is time to examine the legal position on the issue.” This statement by the Ministry of Finance came after all the government ministries present at the hearing presented a unanimous position according to which this is a forbidden game.
Representative of the Ministry of Finance, Yoav Hecht, He said: This is a forbidden game and that the Ministry of Finance opposes the extension of gambling and forbidden games to the legal field, at the same time every decision should be examined. When the bill reaches the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs, a government position will also be formulated. “The legal adviser to the Ministry of Finance, Adv. Uri Katz, added:” The proposal to maintain a regulation changes the ban on gambling. The law is the existing interpretation of the court that poker is a prohibited game, the Penal Code does not have the authority to allow a prohibited game. “
The position of the Ministry of Sports was that the issue was being examined: “The current situation is that poker is defined as a prohibited game and it is impossible to recognize it and hold activities,” she said. Ofra SharonAdi Tal, from the Ministry of Homeland Security’s legal advice, explained that if the game is played by a group of regular people who play at home for small amounts, it is not a forbidden game and therefore there will be no police enforcement.
Chairman of the Poker Association, Stas Tishkevich‘, He said in the committee: “The issue that is important for me to convey, is that we are not conducting a utopian discussion. Today in the State of Israel there are thousands of poker fans who play in one way or another and not regulated. We are flying in a week to the Israeli Poker Championship taking place in Bulgaria, so we have a reality. A lot of people play poker in the country, and due to the fact that there is no regulation people play under criminal organizations and in the dark. The court ruled that for an amateur player, who has not studied the game, poker is a game of chance, but for a professional player, who specializes in the game, it is a game of ability. The state is ostensibly trying to protect the amateur player but in practice it is harming him. She sends him to play in hidden clubs and tells him he is losing because of luck. “
Israeli champion in the last three times, Eyal Eshkar, He said: “The current situation is one that hurts the public on a daily basis in those who do these things and do not intend to stop. I pay for all my earnings income tax by occupation. This is my job and I am offset the expenses for travel abroad as well.”
The chairman of the committee, MK Hashakel, demanded that the Ministry of Finance hold an in-depth discussion on the issue in cooperation with the income tax. It has announced that it will hold another hearing on the matter in two weeks and that it expects government ministries to formulate by then a position on whether poker is a profession or a prohibited game, in light of the Supreme Court ruling. The Ministry of Sports has asked to submit criteria for the recognition of poker as a sport such as the number of players, industries and leagues. The Ministry of Homeland Security asked to come to the next meeting with data on the prosecutions of players who play social poker games in private homes.
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