Israel Moves Towards Legalizing Poker: A Game of Skill or Chance?

Member of the Likud party Sharren Haskel submitted a bill to the parliament aimed at legalizing poker in Israel. Currently, poker is categorized as a gambling game and is illegal to play in Israel. The punishment for organizing poker events is up to three years in prison, and for playing, it is up to one year.

The bill aims to change the current situation and elevate poker to a new level by recognizing it as an intellectual game. The bill is based on a court decision by Neil Handel, who considers poker an intellectual game due to the skill involved.

Israel has many strong poker players despite the ban, as demonstrated by their performance in the WSOPE series in Rosvade. Two Israeli players, Asi Moshe and Tamir Segal, won bracelets in the WSOPE series. Amir Lehavot is the most successful Israeli poker player with approximately $6,000,000 in offline winnings. Sharren Haskel argues that Israel's strong poker performance enhances the country's global image and should be allowed to host poker tournaments.