Last week, the chairman of the Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee, MK Sharan Hashakel, decided to hold a discussion this coming Tuesday on regulating poker as a sport. The debate will take place when in the background a bill has already been submitted to the Knesset to advance the issue, and now ONE is revealing its details.
Last month, Knesset members Sharan Hashakel and Boaz Toporovsky introduced a bill to recognize poker as a sport. This is a bill that the mind has already promoted in the 20th Knesset, when the Likud was in the coalition, and now it is bringing it up for discussion again.
According to a bill recently submitted to the Knesset, the Minister of Culture and Sports will recognize the Poker Association. To hold poker tournaments, a person will need to obtain a license to do so from the association and on the condition that all participants be registered members of the association. The Minister will determine the conditions for holding poker tournaments, such as the ages of the participants in the tournament, the participation fee and the calculation of the amount of winning the tournament, when the date of the tournaments and their existence will be determined in consultation with the Minister of Tourism.
The amount of winning a poker tournament will be considered as income under the Income Tax Ordinance, so the winners will be required to transfer part of the amount to the state. In addition, under the bill, anyone who organizes a banned poker tournament without a license could face up to two years in prison or a double fine of what the Penal Code allows.
“The purpose of the bill is to regulate the game of poker as a competitive sport under a system of rules and regulations,” the bill said. “The game of poker is not recognized as an official sport in Israel, and so there is a ‘black market’ for the money won in the game of poker, on which no tax is paid. Moreover, in some cases, the profits are transferred to private hands, sometimes to criminal elements, and even invested outside the State of Israel. “
In fact, there is an attempt to turn the Abandoned Association into a body that will conduct gambling, even though today only the Gambling Board is authorized as a body that conducts sports betting in Israel. In fact, one can compare to a situation where the Football Association or the Basketball Association will start conducting gambling.
“If and when the game of poker is declared an official sport and permitted by law, the proceeds from the winnings or consideration will be under public oversight and subject to review by the tax authorities,” the bill said. “Like other betting arrangements, a percentage of the money from participating in the allowed games and winning will be transferred to support worthy causes in Israel. In addition, the poker tournament is accompanied by a large audience from all over the world, and the arrival in Israel of the leading poker players to participate in the poker tournament will lead to an increase in tourism revenue and the promotion of the Israeli economy. “
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