Poker News and Updates

May 26, 2009

The Netherlands just can’t catch a break. It seems like someone is always on them in regards to online gambling or poker playing. Now with them trying to pass a law that says that not only is online gambling and poker playing illegal, they are actually modeling it on the ever popular Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that has brought so much grief to the US. The European Commission says that they want the Netherlands to cease and desist their attempts to make online poker and gambling illegal, and they are taking their case to the European Court of Justice.

Sweden, meanwhile, is looking to make things a little easier for their poker players. A Swedish appeals court recently made things a little better for a few of their players who had organized an illegal poker tournament. The four men were convicted of illegal poker gambling, and it should be noted that this was not a small event. The poker tournament brought in more than 700 players – so it really was a big event. Two of the poker organizers were fined and two were sent to jail. However, the appeals court exonerated the two men who were fined and suspended the jail terms for the two that were to go to jail.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is bound and determined to get their gambling zones in place by July 1st. The country had moved all slot machine gambling to four zones within the country, and now it looks as though those zones are finally ready to go live. The other casinos are being forced to close their doors, and many have done so already. However, under their law poker tournaments are still considered a sport and are not included in the ban. It can be expected that as poker playing is now the only really popular and accessible game in the country that it will become the game of choice for many residents.