In a decision that could very well have implications in future court rulings regarding online poker, a Danish municipal court has overturned a previous ruling that declared poker as being a game of chance not falling within the regulatory framework of Danish gambling laws. Citing poker as a game whose outcome is dependent on both skill and chance, the ruling helps to set a precedent which poker players around the world have long been seeking to establish.

In the U.S., where online poker rooms are prohibited under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, there is a large collective voice, namely coming from the ranks of the Poker Players Alliance, that online poker should be exempt from the UIGEA. In fact, legislation is being introduced at this time in which online poker would be a benefactor of the UIGEA's already existing carve-outs for horseracing, lottery and fantasy sports betting - leaving only online casino games behind in the dust.

The Danish court ruling accomplishes two major things. First, it gets Danish Poker Association President, Frederik Hostrup, off the hook for allegedly organizing and hosting "illegal" poker tournaments. Hostrup is now acquitted of charges brought up by the hotel and restaurant trade organization, Horesta, who is apparently working on behalf of Denmark's land-based casinos (no surprise there). Horesta now has fourteen days to decide whether they will appeal the decision and perhaps take another angle in the case. Interestingly enough, Horesta's non-cited argument is that approximately 85,000 Danes are at risk of becoming addicted to gambling.

The second thing this ruling accomplishes is that it helps to legitimatize poker, as Hostrup's attorney, Henrik Hoffman, pointed out in an interview with the Politiken newspaper. It's common news that poker is very popular in Denmark, just as it is around the world. Statistics show that somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 Danes play poker every week and that approximately 500,000 play on a regular basis.