"Poker can not belong to the category of gambling. It is a sport!" That site reports Dmitry Lesnoy, president of the Sport Federation of Russia, an organisation created to promote poker's interests within Russia, testified on behalf of poker during the commission's hearings on the topic. Lesnoy appealed that poker is an 'intellectual game' with widespread, mass-market interest. Lesnoy , an established Russian gaming writer, also organised a November 2006 conference of pro-gaming forces with representatives present from over 50 different Russian regions. This meeting of the 'Federation of Sports Poker' paved the way for the lobbying efforts supporting the game. “With the general background of persecution from the government towards gambling, the state still revealed wisdom and agreed with a factor, that poker can not belong to the category of gambling.” It is a sport!” said Lesnoy.

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