Derek Kelly, proprietor of the Gutshot Club in London's Clerkenwell Road, recently had his day in Snaresbrook Crown Court. The Gutshot is a well appointed club established to accommodate the current craze for poker. The question before the jury was whether poker is a game of skill or of chance.
The objective of the 1968 Gaming Act was to establish criteria that would give the Gaming Board the authority needed to drive the Mafia out of Britain's casinos without bothering thousands of highly reputable bridge and chess clubs across the country. But what was happening in Clerkenwell Road? Was Mr Kelly running a casino or a club?
