Public houses in the UK will be able to host poker games for limited stakes next year after the government gave its approval to new plans.

Traditionally home to games such as dominos and skittles, the English pub will find itself hosting to a more modern leisure pursuit when the new legislation comes into force next September.

A Labour party spokesman denied that the ruling would have a negative effect.

“The government does not believe that permitting people to play poker for very small stakes – we are talking about a few pounds per head – poses a risk to any of the three objectives of the Gambling Act: protecting the vulnerable, keeping out crime and keeping games fair,” the spokesman commented.

Games of chance had previously been banned in pubs and bars within the UK. With over six million players now playing online in the UK, poker is enjoying its most popular period in its history, with thousands of new players signing up to play online every month.

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