A recent report by Czech newspaper ‘The Prague Post' has reported that members of the national association of poker clubs are pushing the Czech Finance Ministy to recognise poker as a sport.
The game has boomed in the Czech Republic in the last two years, with 60,000 Czechs play poker, with roughly 1,000 organised into 19 official clubs across the country. The bid by the Czech Association of Poker Clubs to have the game recognised as an official sport is a serious one too, having enlisted legal representatives from Ernst & Young to aid in their campaign.
Poker fans believe officially reclassifying the game as a sport will help tidy the image of the game in the country, with some alleging that many casino are mafia-run, targeting foreign tourists. Recognition of poker as a sport will cut down on this through state regulation.