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EU Starts Legal Action Against Sweden & Germany Over Gambling PracticesFri, Feb 1st, 2008 @ 12:00am The European Commission (EC) has begun legal action against Sweden and Germany on 31 January challenging their protectionist practices against foreign gambling operators, to bring them into compliance with EU directives that give EU-based operators the free movement of goods and services between the 27 EU member countries (Article 49 of the EC Treaty). SWEDEN Sweden's state-owned gambling company, Svenska Spel, offers and promotes online poker to its citizens, while competitors face near-insurmountable barriers to entry and Swedish newspapers are pressured into not taking advertising from competitors (click here for related article). Stefan Widmark, the lawyer for the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet, was quoted by Gaming Intelligence Group as saying, "We are very pleased that the Commission has taken up this matter with the Swedish government. In the letter from Aftonbladet to the Commission two weeks ago, we requested the Commission to take up the subject of poker, as the focus of previous actions has been on the field of sport betting." The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, has given Sweden two months to show how their protective measures against non-state supported poker games and tournaments are compatible with EU law. Widmark said he hoped that the EC's decision would force the Swedish government to take action, but pointed out that previous moves by the Commission have had little effect. GERMANY A new German Interstate law came into force on January 1 that bans online gaming and betting, with the exception of horse racing. Financial institutions are also banned from processing transactions related to such 'illegal' online gambling services. The EC had previously made known its opinion that such a course would conflict with the principles of free movement of goods and services between EU member countries. Germany have also been given two months to respond to the EC. WHAT NEXT? If replies from both countries are not satisfactory, they can be taken to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is empowered to force nations to amend their laws or face financial penalties. Last year, the EU court made two landmark rulings against Italian gaming restrictions. Judges in March struck down the use of criminal laws to hinder foreign companies including Stanley Leisure Plc of the U.K., and in September declared the country's licensing system illegal. Read Related Articles:
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Keikoan Captures Harvey's Lake Tahoe WSOPC Championship This week marked the finale of the biggest annual tournament series in Northern Nevada, the WSOP Circuit championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. While the Main Event saw only a modest turnout, it did boast of a tough final table, and a WSOP bracelet owner as the eventual champion.
WSOP Main Event Champ Joe Cada to Appear on Letterman The poker world will receive some late night attention tonight as "The Kid" Joe Cada, the youngest champion in the four decade history of the World Series of Poker Main Event, takes a seat next to embattled talk show host David Letterman.
First Korean Champ of Asia Pacific Poker Tour Crowned in Cebu Another stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour is in the books, this time it's the APPT Cebu in the Philippines, and for the very first time a Korean player has come out on top.
Pollack Done as Commish of World Series of Poker Just three days after crowning Joe Cada as the 2009 Main Event champion, officially closing the special 40th anniversary run of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack has resigned his post as Commissioner of the WSOP.
Durrrr Signs as Team Full Tilt's Youngest Member Tom "durrrr" Dwan is the newest member of Team Full Tilt, the online site's highest level of affiliation. At 23, Dwan is the youngest of the now 14-person team. The high stakes cash phenomenon was nominated for induction this year into the Poker Hall of Fame until the Hall of Fame Governing Council decided he was too young to meet the "has stood the test of time" qualification.
Joe Cada Becomes Youngest World Series of Poker Main Event Champ History was made early Tuesday morning in Las Vegas as 21-year-old Joe Cada outlasted Darvin Moon in heads-up play to claim the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet and more than $8.5 million.
Moon and Cada Heads-Up, Ivey 7th at WSOP Main Event Final Table After a marathon session at the most esteemed table in the poker world, a 21-year-old and a logger are set to go one-on-one for the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet.
PokerStars Launches New UK and Ireland Poker Tour PokerStars.com has announced the start of a new poker tour with stops throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) will kick off in Galway, Ireland in mid-December, and the first event in the UK will be held in Manchester in February.
Peerless Media Agrees to Purchase World Poker Tour Enterprises According to a Monday press release, WPT Enterprises Inc., mothership of the World Poker Tour, is now the rightful property of Peerless Media, Ltd., subsidiary of online giant PartyGaming.
Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho Hit the Amazing Race Rail After surviving six legs of the Amazing Race by the skin of their teeth, poker pros Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho were finally eliminated in the CBS reality show's most recently aired episode. Michelle and Ho, the last women standing in the 2008 and 2007 World Series of Poker Main Events, gave reality television fans another chance to watch poker personalities compete away from the felt. Annie Duke garnered quite a following earlier in the year on another reality show competition, NBC's Celebrity Apprentice. |
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