DGudgeon

Last updated 00:00, Tuesday, 02 January 2007

By Dave Gudgeon

A CUMBRIAN pub landlord wants customers to be able to play poker on his premises.

The request from Gary Kirby, of the Kings Head Hotel at Ravenstonedale, near Kirkby Stephen, goes before Eden councillors tomorrow.

There has been a huge upsurge in poker in recent years thanks to gaming websites and specialist TV channels, which feature celebrity players.

Mr Kirby says events are already being staged in pubs and clubs up and down the county, including the Eden district. Some are lawful and others are not.

He argues that denying people the chance to play the game legally in pubs increases the pressure on players to break the law. He says he would not charge players nor take money from the pot while stakes were likely to be small.

The Eden licensing committee will consider his specific request and consider the matter of playing poker on licensed premises more generally.

Any order made by the council will come under the 1968 Gaming Act and only remain in force until the new Gambling Act takes effect this autumn.

If the order is granted to Mr Kirby the council will prepare an application form for future requests and investigate an appropriate fee to cover administration costs.

Poker’s popularity has experienced an unprecedented rise in recent years largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera. This has turned the game into a spectator sport with TV viewers able to follow the action and drama.

Tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour have brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors.

DGudgeon@cngroup.co.uk