The Czechs will make poker a sport to fight the crime associated with the game.

Czech poker association wants poker recognized as a sport, to reduce crime. They regard the game as harmless, despite the fact that there is often a lot of money involved in the game. The vast majority are young people who use the game to relax and to escape from a monotone day, they say.

 According to the newspaper, Prague Post, this week, approximately 60.000 poker players can look forward to a brighter future, because of the Czech Republic's review of the existing gambling laws. A variety of organisations, such as the Czech Association of Poker, is trying to put a pressure on the government, to declare poker a sport, and in that way reduce the risk of crime in the increasingly popular pastime in the Czech Republic.

The government’s Finance ministry is preparing an introduction of a new gambling legislation that will streamline the national regulations for gambling, which currently is prohibited outside of land casinos. At the same time the Czech Association of Poker has enlisted the professional services of Ernst & Young to aid the campaign.

The draft legislation will be presented late 2008, and the Association is eager to make sure that its input will be considered in the drafting process.

Spokeswoman Zuzana Chocholová from the Finance ministry confirmed to the newspaper that poker currently isn’t recognised as a sport, but she wouldn’t comment on the upcoming legislation. She just said that poker outside of the casinos is legal in the country, if the game is played without any monetary stakes.
 
”The players don’t agree with the ministry’s opinion of the game,” according to the newspaper, “even though there often is a large amount of money involved, is poker itself just like other sports, relying on mathematical and psychological rather than physical."
 
Chocholová says that the fact that the game just recently has become popular in the country together with the hosting of poker tournaments, potentially could prevent the new classification of the game. “The Poker Club Association is seeking to free the poker tournaments from the lottery legislation,” she said. “The poker tournaments are a relatively new phenomenon and only tournaments in casinos have been given permission.”
 
The Czech players are between 18 and 30 years of age, and mainly males. The women represent just 10 percent of the national demographic, Prague Post says. “There is a few professional players in the Czech Republic, but the majority of the players, use the game as a recreation and as a way to escape everyday life monotony,” it says.

A spokesman for the Czech Association of Poker Clubs said that young people see poker as a lifestyle and a form of entertainment. He also said that because of the easy access to the game on the internet, the game sees new fans every day.