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NY judge: Poker's not gambling under federal law

By Associated Press

Story Created: Aug 21, 2012 at 4:12 PM EDT

Story Updated: Aug 21, 2012 at 4:13 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge in New York has handed a victory to poker advocates, ruling that the card game is not gambling under federal law because it is primarily a game of skill, not chance.

The decision Tuesday by Judge Jack Weinstein in Brooklyn is likely to be embraced by advocates of card games who are pushing to legalize Internet poker in the United States.

The ruling resulted in the dismissal of a federal criminal indictment against a man convicted last month of conspiring to operate an illegal underground poker club. The judge relied in his decision largely on findings by a defense expert who analyzed Internet poker games. Weinstein noted that the federal statute was created to combat organized crime

Lawyers did not immediately respond to phone messages for comment.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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