Poker is a game of chance and the organiser of a poker tournament can be prosecuted for breaking gambling laws, Amsterdam’s appeal court has ruled in a case which stretches back nearly 10 years.

Officially, the Netherlands regards poker as a gambling game, meaning the state owned Holland Casino group is the only organisation allowed to organise tournaments.

The case centres on three men who organised poker tournaments in a bar in Bussum between 2005 and 2007 without a licence.

Lower court judges in 2010 and 2014 agreed with the defence, which argued poker has become a different game, depending on tactics, experience and psychology.

However, the appeal court said in a statement poker is still about luck because much depends on which cards the players are dealt.

Two of the men have been given a suspended fine of €1,250 for organising illegal tournaments and the bar owner €500. The court suspended the fines because the case has taken so long to be settled.