18 September 2025
Socialist congressman Razzy Hammadi has presented the French Senate with a proposal to change the definition of gambling, so that poker continues to be included in the category.
The new definition, (which has yet to go through more voting in order to become law) changes the requirement of luck being a decisive factor over skill. The new definition approved by the Senate is as follows:
"Any activity that creates expectations of gains from, even partially, luck and that requires of the participants a financial sacrifice."
Hammadi justified himself by saying that "skill games create risks similar to those that create other addition problems."
This necessity to change the definition of gambling came after a Toulouse Court agreed with over 100 players accused of participating and organizing illegal poker games. The ruling noted that poker did not meet the fundamental requirement of the law (that luck be a determining factor over skill), and as such the players hadn't done anything illegal.
The new definition can now lead to other mental games being included in the bill, since that all games have an element of luck, no matter how small - the cast of a die, or choosing who starts a match.
