The news from Germany will undoubtedly be a great lift to the poker community. That an established club like SV Arminia Hannover has recognised poker as a mind sport, equal to other sports in its portfolio, is a welcome shot of credibility in a region where the law has been muddled. It will hopefully serve as a catalyst for other clubs to do the same.
It was a sentiment echoed by another club official Class Kähler who will head the poker division.
“With the inclusion into the SV Arminia Hannover [portfolio] we have the ability to utilize existing structures and to benefit from this great organization,” he said. “We will prove the sports aspect through training and club rankings. In addition we want to offer regular gaming operations with the assistance of
members and sponsors.”
The German poker community added its support for the move, with Stephan Kalhamer, President of the DPSB Stephan Kalhamer expressed his delight.
“I welcome the words of Claas Kähler, in cooperation with Arminia Hannover, to write a piece of poker’s sporting history,” he said. “That this is being done, especially in the complex legal circumstances surrounding the state of Lower Saxony, is particularly pleasing. If you make it there, you make it anywhere.”