/ Editor / 29 January 2008 / Leave a comment

THE croupiers are revolting.

Three Canadian unions representing 1,450 card dealers are unhappy. Their petition to the Quebec Superior Court seeks to force the board that regulates gambling in the province, the Regie des alcools des courses et des jeux, to look at the regions' automated poker tables.

The position is that 25 automated electronic Texas Hold'em poker tables installed Jan. 18 at the Montreal Casino are illegal.

It is alleged that the PokerPro tables do not meet Quebec's legal requirement that slot machines be pure games of chance.

So says Jean-Pierre Proulx, a spokesperson for the croupiers union, affiliated with the Quebec Federation of Labour. Proulx maintains that poker has a large element of strategy as well as chance, so should not be treated the same as a slot machine.

On the other side, Vito Casucci, a spokesman for Pokertek, says the machines can deal 50 per cent faster than human dealers, allowing customers to spend their money faster."

Of course, the real issue is that the electronic dealer will be more efficient and likeable than the human version.

Play online and away from the croupier's questioning eyes...

Tags: Canada