Russia Declares Poker a Sport

April 12th, 2007

The debate over whether or not poker is a sport has been settled in Russia, thanks to the actions of Russian Sports Minister Slava Fetisov.

In a mid-March decision Fetisov made the declaration, putting poker out of harm’s way in the face of a recently signed bill by Russia’s President Putin that will segregate casinos in 2009.

The new law will outlaw casinos in the majority of the country, except in four special zones, but as poker is now a sport it will apparently have free reign for "sports enthusiasts" throughout Russia.