1 kilogram of pure gold for poker players

Poker players most likely not have too much to do with the gold course – at least as a rule, even if there are a lot of gold trophies for capable players at some poker tournaments. However, the fact that pure gold is determined as a tournament is rarely the case. The famous Austrian CardCasino in Vienna also thought this. There, a poker player can literally become a gold boy -or girl -if he or she collects sufficient poker hours by 2020. Because if you play the most, you get a kilogram of gold from the casino. Despite the lucrative profit, the gold campaign also comes across skepticism.

Gold worth 35,000 $ !

The wild west is over, but some things last over the centuries. This applies, for example, to the popular card gambling Poker, which is known to also be a salon or rather with shooting and drinking-loving cowboys: “saloon capable”. Nowadays, Poker is certainly as popular as it was then – and in almost all parts of the world – also in Austria.

There was only recently a creative poker event, which of the European CCC group is organized in Vienna. The CCC Group is an international gambling company that is particularly active in the poker area. This year, poker players in and around Vienna can even look forward to something very special that would certainly have experienced a lot of influx in the pioneering period.

Although the poker events are a bit more illustrated today and are of course also organized in exclusive facilities, but at least one thing should have in common at the time and today’s poker players: the desire for the big win! And there will definitely be. Because the Card Casino in Vienna, the venue of the poker event, will become the later happy poker champion Reward with gold – and worth 35,000 $ !

Everything just a marketing gag?

What may appear like a creative and innovative idea at first glance is also criticized in the poker scene. Because not everyone is convinced that the profit at the end of the event, which is dated January 2020 by the way, is actually also distributed the poker champion. The reason for this assumption is Austrian legislation.

Because in Austria will be The gambling law from January 1st, 2020 also apply to poker. From next year, poker events can only be held in casinos. Private poker salons, including the Card Casino, are no longer entitled to offer official poker tournaments – at least not if they do not serve charitable purposes and distribute profits to players.

“Of course, withdrawals will also be possible in January 2020!”– Peter Zanoni, operator of Montesino and around a dozen other Concord Card Casinos (CCC) in Austria

Some poker players are now sensing a planned marketing campaign that ends up empty -hand poker players. Some Austrian poker players even switched on lawyers to have the case checked. On the part of the CCC Group, however, it is certain that the new gambling legislation in Austria is not an obstacle, because the event had already started in 2019, only the profit will only be distributed in January 2020. The background of this farce is basically only a bureaucratic point . Because so far Poker has not been seen as a gambling in Austria, as a result, did not fall under the gambling law. From 2020 this will be different and Poker is also officially a game of chance in Austria.

Online poker not affected

Unlike in many other European countries However, the Austrian gambling law only limits the private poker game in inpatient locations. Private providers can continue to organize poker events on the Internet and Austrian players can take part in it, even if current Messages appear that reveal other plans.

However, despite the implementation in the coming year, the fact that there is a restriction has been decided for five years. At the urging of the Austrian Ministry of Finance already initiated a amendment to the law in 2015, which modified the Austrian Gambling Act and has also included poker since then. However, the legislature granted a transition period of four years, which finally expires in 2020.

However, the approximately 400,000 Austrian poker players should not like this. If privately organized poker events are eliminated, there are no longer many options for the poker game. Now there was only that Casino-Austria Group as the only licensed provider left over.

”We are working hard to ensure that this law is not implemented. I just can’t imagine that the government wants to destroy so many jobs. ”– Peter Zanoni, operator of Montesino and around a dozen other Concord Card Casinos (CCC) in Austria

However, there is also a different aspect to be considered on the part of the economy. Because in the Card Casinos in Austria alone, over 600 people work who would then have to look for a new job after the new law came into force. It remains to be seen how the Austrian government wants to sell this.