CTP Club’s Landmark Victory Strengthens Live Poker In Taiwan

Live poker in the Asia-Pacific region is booming throughout the last few years, yet, also faces a lot of legal hurdles in several countries such as South Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, mainland China, Japan, and Taiwan. For some of them, citizens cannot play in casinos unless they have another passport while others only allow specific poker variants.

CTP Club Secures Landmark Legal Victory In Taiwan

Taiwan in particular certainly experienced a rocky path to what has now became a success story thanks to the relentless efforts of the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club). However, the obstacles may now have finally disappeared as the CTP Club has earned a landmark victory for poker legitimacy on home soil as confirmed by David Tai and Raymong Wong a few days ago in late February, 2025.

Founded in 2015, CTP Club has become the premier venue for live poker in Taiwan with nine different branches across the island. One of them in particular, the CTP Changhua Branch was subject to a police raid during an ongoing event more than two years ago and the subsequent legal proceedings took several twists and turns. The responsible district court declared CTP not guilty but prosecutors advanced the process to the Taiwan Supreme Court, which had the exact opposite outcome.

Thanks to the multi-layered judicial system in Taiwan, CTP Club was allowed to appeal and take the case to the highest court which ultimately rescinded the previous decision in favor of the operator and led to a historic moment for the card game in the country. The Supreme Court officially confirmed the legal status of Texas Hold’em tournaments in the highest instance and that follows into the footsteps of other successful legal battles by CTP Club on numerous occasions.

Poker Officially Declared A Mind Sport In Taiwan

In 2020, the High Court clarified “Texas Hold’em tournaments are a form of skill-based competition, not gambling” yet it took another four years for the final verdict in the battle for legitimacy, which has now lasted nearly a decade. The efforts to establish the oldest poker variant in the world as a legal and competitive sport in Taiwan now finally appear to be set in stone, as no further cases are ongoing. Other forms of gambling are still illegal in the country, but the relentless efforts of Tai and Wong to defeat countless legal windmills and acquire all necessary permissions to run poker tournaments are now hopefully just a thought of the past.

This latest development is another very encouraging news for live poker in Taiwan, as the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association was announced as a member of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), which itself recognized poker as a mind sport in November 2024, too.

Taiwan’s Growing Presence On The International Poker Scene

More and more international brands have discovered Taiwan as a promising destination for major live poker festivals such as the World Poker Tour and the Asian Poker Tour. Likewise, CTP’s own homegrown brand Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) has seen an exponential growth from a couple of tables to thousands of contestants and visitors from other nearby countries. Many local poker pros have made the step to the international poker scene with the top ten on the country’s Hendon Mob ranking boasting more than USD 1 Million in cashes.

Other Articles:

CTP Club Listed As Top Venue Worldwide
Interview with CTP Club Owner – David Tai
CTP Asia Poker Arena