The tax rate for Israeli poker players could soon be clarified following years of uncertainty, disputes and six-figure bills for some of the country’s top players.

Heading into 2019, Israeli ministers will be considering a new bill introduced by the Likund Party’s Sharren Haskel. Aiming to define the status of poker and, in turn, an applicable tax rate, Haskel introduced a bill to the Knesset at the start of November. Although this isn’t the first time poker supporters have pushed to have the game legalised, the latest effort comes in the wake of a recent ruling by Supreme Court Judge Neal Hendel.

“The fact that the players go to contests and tournaments year after year strengthens the conclusion that it is not a game of luck,” Hendel said in a court recent ruling.

Should Haskel’s bill be successful, it would redefine poker as a skill game and, in turn, offer some guidance for the Finance Ministry. Over the last five years, many of Israel’s top poker players have been locked in a dispute over tax payments. By reviewing tournament results from databases such as The Hendon Mob and the Global Poker Index, the Israeli Tax Authority has taken aim at Uri Miller and Rafi Amit.

Tracking Miller’s results via the Hendon Mob’s database, tax inspectors have claimed that he is liable for 50 per cent tax on the $280,000 he won during 2010. For Amit, who has in excess of $900,000 in live earnings, the taxman demanded $650,000 in payments for his 2007 haul.