The Russian Federation's "Federal Agency of Physical Culture and Sports" has ruled that the game of poker should be regarded as a sport. This paves the way for poker to gain popularity (and legitimacy) in the former Communist country.
As a result of the ruling, poker tournaments are considered official sporting competitions. The commission that looked into the matter determined that poker is an "intellectual game with widespread, mass-market interest."
The decision should make poker exempt from the provisions of the four 'gambling zones' that are currently being set up in Russia. The Sport Federation of Russia under the auspices of Dmitry Lesnoy hopes to set up poker schools, organize poker tournaments, create official player rankings and more now that the sport has been given governmental sanction.
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