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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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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.
Isaac Baron Dominates Caesars Classic Main Event Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron ran over the final table of the Caesars Palace Classic $5,000 Main Event, amassing a huge chip lead and going home with the $246,928 first prize. It took two long days to narrow the 162-person field to the final ten. A very high percentage of the entrants were recognizable tournament circuit players, and unsurprisingly, the stacked field produced a tough final table lineup.
Tonight- ESPN shows Day Before WSOP Main Event Final Nine are Set- Oct 27 Tonight (Oct. 27) at 9pm ET, ESPN will broadcast highlights of action on the day before the Final Table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event was set. Only 27 players remain when this one-hour show begins.
Frenchman Wins PokerStars EPT Warsaw Poker Tourney At the PokerStars European Poker Tour Warsaw No Limit Texas Hold'em main event that wrapped up yesterday, French businessman Christophe Benzimra finished first taking home 358,644 Euros in prize money, while Italian poker pro Alfio Battisti finished second in the tournament.
Vedes Conquers WPT Festa al Lago Final Table Tommy Vedes is the WPT's newest champion! Vedes outlasted 274 players to win the Festa al Lago title and the $1,218,225 first prize. Freddy Deeb, who began the final table with the chip lead, hoped to win his third WPT title and tie Gus Hansen's record. Instead, Deeb was forced to settle for 4th place, leaving room for a new WPT champ. Click here for in-depth coverage of the action and photos from the final table.
Will Hungarians Get Taxed on Poker Soon? Hungarian lawmakers have plans to tax poker winnings and regulate clubs to generate much-needed revenues during the country's worst economic crisis since the end of communism, reports Germany's Deutsche Weele.
Freddy Deeb Leads World Poker Tour Final Table The WPT Festa al Lago Main Event is down to the final six after five tough days of play. Two-time WPT champion Freddy Deeb brings the chip lead along with the benefit of his under-the-lights experience into Monday's televised final table. Deeb previously won the WPT Season III Aruba Poker Classic and the Season VII Celebrity Invitational. He also owns two World Series bracelets and has amassed over $6 million in tournament winnings. A win on Monday would add $1,218,225 to that total. Click here for photos from the felt and final table chip counts.
11 Remain in WPT Festa al Lago Main Event The fourth day of the Festa al Lago WPT $15,000 Championship began with 37 players, just ten eliminations away from the money. Though action was painfully slow at times, it hit break-neck speed before the end of the night, leaving only 11 players standing heading into Day 5. Click here for Day 4 photos and chip counts. |
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