A judge told the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Friday to stop playing Texas Hold ‘em poker at its casino.
The Spokesman Review reports U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued the injunction, saying tournaments violate Idaho’s state ban on poker.
The Tribe and the state were at odds in May, when the tribe started offering poker tournaments at its casino, claiming poker is a game of skill, and therefore doesn’t fall under the ban.
The state disagreed and contended the game is one of chance. It then filed a lawsuit.
Winmill ordered the pair into arbitration in June. But Friday the judge said that didn’t last. “The Tribe changed its mind and decided it would prefer to litigate," Winmill wrote in his ruling.
The judge said without an injunction, the tribe would continue to offer the tournaments, forcing him to make the decision to stop the games.
Winmill says the lawsuit will continue, though he said the state will likely succeed on its claims. He also says chance does play a role in poker, the paper reports.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter welcomed the judge’s decision.
“The Legislature and the people of Idaho have made it clear what kind of gambling they will accept. That does not include poker,” Otter said in a statement. “And no matter how much the Tribe insists otherwise, Texas Hold ’em is poker.”
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