In July 2009, when the legislative ban on gambling made gambling establishments try to camouflage the organization of games of chance, and work under the guise of “sport poker clubs”, the Russian minister of sport, tourism and youth policy signed decree № 517, according to which tournament poker was excluded from the All-Russian register of types of sport.
However, this does not mean that tournament poker, which was officially recognized as a sport for two years, became classified as gambling. From the legal viewpoint, poker remains an intellectual and beneficial social game – along with preference, dominoes and backgammon, which are also not sports.
Today intellectual and commercial games have become a socially significant phenomenon in Russia. According to official statistics, over 9% of Russia’s population plays tournament poker. However, at present there is a gap in the normative legal regulation of activity for the organization and holding of intellectual and commercial games, which has a negative impact on their development in the country.
At present, it is planned to make changes to the Federal law “On the state regulation of activity for the organization and holding of gambling activity, and changes to several legislative documents of the Russian Federation” concerning the regulation of intellectual and commercial games. It is proposed to make targeted deductions from the revenue of organizations that come under this law, to provide social support for athletes ending their careers.
