UK Gutshot Poker Club Owner Fined 10,000 Pounds
UK Gutshot Poker Club Owner Fined 10,000 Pounds posted by: PokerLOG on 31 March 2007
UK Gutshot poker club owner, Derek Kelly, was sentenced and fined this week, from his earlier conviction in a landmark trial that judged whether Texas Hold'em is a game of skill versus chance.
Kelly, like many poker players, maintained that poker was a game of skill hence didn't need a license.
The jury found Texas Hold'em to be a game of chance, and found Kelly guilty of contravening England's 1968 Gaming Act for illegally taking profits of as much as 10 percent from players on two occasions at the Gutshot poker club he manages.
Sentencing Justice Simon Wilkinson said, "It was your view that poker, and particularly Texas Hold'em was not a game of chance. In adhering to this view, you took a huge gamble."
Kelly was fined GBP 10,000 (about USD $19,700 or 14,725 Euros).
Justice Wilkinson said he decided on a GBP10,000 penalty rather than prison after considering Gutshot was a well-managed club that took moderate fees and catered to players with different skill levels. He also noted Kelly's good character and cooperation.
Kelly was also conditionally discharged for two years and the GBP 10,000 will go toward covering a portion of the prosecution's costs. He said he will only appeal his conviction and not the sentence.
Kelly commented, "I think the judge was reasonable in the end. Five hundred pounds a month I can just about afford."
Somewhat ironically, Kelly now runs Gutshot's online poker site, which is registered in Dublin, Ireland.
Source: PokerPages.com
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