Trouble in Turkey

[jetset]

TROUBLE IN TURKEY

Foreign gambling ban included in new law


It looks as if Austrian public company bwin was on the money last week when it expressed concern over the development of new Turkish anti-gambling laws.

The Turks have subsequently passed a law that forbids the offering of online gambling services by any *unauthorised* domestic or foreign company to citizens in Turkey. With the not-quite-snappy title (perhaps something is lost in the translation!) of “Law for amending certain articles of the law on bookmaking organisation concerning football contests”, the new legislation threatens to impose severe fines and up to between two and five years imprisonment to "anyone involved in enabling access, promotion or operation of sites offering egaming products to Turkish nationals."

Legal eagles are interpreting the new law as a significant nail in the coffin of online gambling in the country, although the more optimistic observers point out that banning foeign companies may not be a good fit for Turkey's upcoming membership of the European Union with its policed of open borders for trade and services between EU members.

Another and more positive interpretation is that the wording of the law suggests that the Turks may be prepared to accept and license online gambling for suitable sites.

[tennis_balls]

what's next? will they ban foreign hookahs? foreign taffy?

[jetset]

TURKISH MOVES ON INTERNET GAMBLING CRITICISED

“The Bill sets up the most authoritarian gaming regime in the Western World," says leading expert

Turkey's latest legislative move against Internet gambling (see previous InfoPowa report) has attracted the critical comments of a leading legal expert, who described the new law as “....the most authoritarian gaming regime in the Western World," and "...a disproportionate and misguided challenge to the constitutional principles of free trade enshrined in EU law.”

Attorney Dr. Ola Wiklund, Attorney at Wistrand Law Firm, Stockholm and an Associate Professor at Stockholm University, is one of the foremost commentators on egaming law. Describing the new law as "draconian" he explained that the Turkish government's “Bill regarding Application of Amendments on Certain Laws with Law on Arrangement of Book Making on Football Contests” embraces all operations of gaming companies, domestic or foreign, that operate without authorisation from the Turkish government, offering gaming services on the Internet.

Such companies could face imprisonment from two to five years together with heavy fines, whilst promoting, facilitating or participating in these activities is also strictly prohibited and criminalised.

“The Bill sets up the most authoritarian gaming regime in the Western World," Wiklund claims. "The Bill rests primarily on financial considerations and state purse concerns. The Turkish government wishes to make a pre-emptive strike against private gaming companies who offer considerably more favourable terms for the consumer by way of better odds and higher return rate," he said.

“The Turkish State wishes to adopt through the State controlled operators (notably IDDAA) an aggressive and expansive policy with a view to increasing the State’s income from gambling. It is astonishing that this policy also allows the private shareholders of the State controlled undertakings to benefit. This would be wholly unacceptable within the EU. It would be deplorable if it will create an obstacle for the ongoing integration process between Turkey and Europe,” he concluded in a reference to Turkey's plan to join the European Union.

[Casinomeister]

Turkey blocks YouTube for insult
POSTED: 0553 GMT (1353 HKT), March 8, 2007
Adjust font size:
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- A Turkish court has ordered access to YouTube's Web site blocked because of videos allegedly insulting the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Paul Doany, head of Turk Telekom, Turkey's largest telecommunications provider, said his company had immediately begun enforcing the ban.

"We are not in the position of saying that what YouTube did was an insult, that it was right or wrong," Doany said Wednesday in remarks to the state-run Anatolia news agency. "A court decision was proposed to us, and we are doing what that court decision says."

Visitors to the YouTube site from Turkey were greeted with the message: "Access to this site has been blocked by a court decision!..."

The vast majority of Turkish Internet users use Turk Telekom, a state-run monopoly until it was privatized in 2005.

A message in both Turkish and English at the bottom of the page said, "Access to www.youtube.com site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court."

Turk Telekom petition

The court -- acting on a petition from Turk Telekom -- ruled later on Wednesday that it would revoke the ban as soon as it ascertained that the offending videos had been removed from YouTube. YouTube is owned by internet search engine giant Google.

Earlier, Doany said Turk Telekom would allow access to the popular video sharing site again if the court decision were rescinded. Access from Turkey might be possible through other service providers, he said.

Over the past week, Turkish media publicized what some called a "virtual war" between Greeks and Turks on YouTube, with people from both sides posting videos to belittle and berate the other.

The video prompting the ban allegedly said Ataturk and the Turkish people were homosexuals, news reports said.

On its front page on Wednesday, the newspaper Hurriyet said thousands of people had written to YouTube and that the Ataturk videos had been removed from the site. "YouTube got the message," the headline said.

Insulting Ataturk or "Turkishness" is a crime in Turkey punishable by prison.

Turkey, which hopes to join the European Union, has been roundly condemned for not doing enough to curb extreme nationalist sentiments and to protect freedom of expression.

Another step forward for Tyranny. Oops, am I insulting Turkishness?

[lojo]

Turkey is kind of sensitive. Wish I could curse here

[dreamtheatre]

I am online poker player from turkey. I am an engineer but for the last six months i make a living only by palying poker and as an affliate.

After the law (mentioned above by Jetset) Turkish online poker sites have completely closed down (www.kaave.com , www.pokersalonu.com , www.bahsedeger.com) and some international pokerrrooms (hollywoodpoker etc) do not accept Turkish players anymore.

My players and i are playing at a boss media poker client and depositing and withdrawing via our credit cards. the operations are listed as www.webdollar.com on our credit card statements. could we be commiting a crime by using our credit card int hese operations. We are very worried but we cannot quit playing online poker.

P.s: American soldier you are the last person to make comments about human rights. If some countries stop provoking every ethnic minorities in the world and interfering with other countries internal affairs so that chaos will be created and more guns will be sold and there will be excuses for invading other countries ,i believe democracy will rule in every country in the world. And you are not the one to decide which country will be accepted to the EU.

[anadolu]

I am online poker player from turkey. I am an engineer but for the last six months i make a living only by palying poker and as an affliate.

After the law (mentioned above by Jetset) Turkish online poker sites have completely closed down (www.kaave.com , www.pokersalonu.com , www.bahsedeger.com) and some international pokerrrooms (hollywoodpoker etc) do not accept Turkish players anymore.

My players and i are playing at a boss media poker client and depositing and withdrawing via our credit cards. the operations are listed as www.webdollar.com on our credit card statements. could we be commiting a crime by using our credit card int hese operations. We are very worried but we cannot quit playing online poker.

P.s: American soldier you are the last person to make comments about human rights. If some countries stop provoking every ethnic minorities in the world and interfering with other countries internal affairs so that chaos will be created and more guns will be sold and there will be excuses for invading other countries ,i believe democracy will rule in every country in the world. And you are not the one to decide which country will be accepted to the EU.

merhaba dream sen türkmüsün ?

[Casinomeister]

P.s: American soldier you are the last person to make comments about human rights. If some countries stop provoking every ethnic minorities in the world and interfering with other countries internal affairs so that chaos will be created and more guns will be sold and there will be excuses for invading other countries ,i believe democracy will rule in every country in the world. And you are not the one to decide which country will be accepted to the EU.

Yeah, right. Whatever. By the way this article is from the associated press:

Turkey, which hopes to join the European Union, has been roundly condemned for not doing enough to curb extreme nationalist sentiments and to protect freedom of expression.

I didn't write that, they did.

[vinylweatherman]

I am online poker player from turkey. I am an engineer but for the last six months i make a living only by palying poker and as an affliate.

After the law (mentioned above by Jetset) Turkish online poker sites have completely closed down (www.kaave.com , www.pokersalonu.com , www.bahsedeger.com) and some international pokerrrooms (hollywoodpoker etc) do not accept Turkish players anymore.

My players and i are playing at a boss media poker client and depositing and withdrawing via our credit cards. the operations are listed as www.webdollar.com on our credit card statements. could we be commiting a crime by using our credit card int hese operations. We are very worried but we cannot quit playing online poker.

P.s: American soldier you are the last person to make comments about human rights. If some countries stop provoking every ethnic minorities in the world and interfering with other countries internal affairs so that chaos will be created and more guns will be sold and there will be excuses for invading other countries ,i believe democracy will rule in every country in the world. And you are not the one to decide which country will be accepted to the EU.

Turkey are by no means the only EU country, or potential entrant, to fall foul of the single market rules, Italy tried it, so have France and Germany. Their actions have been ruled out of order, however, things move slowly in the EU.
There are a few vested interests that want to prevent Turkey from ever being allowed into the EU, and if Turkey implement what is asked of them, the goalposts will simply be moved again.
What was said about Turkish people all being homosexuals is an insult, intended to inflame the situation. This would also fall foul of the law in countries that have full freedom of expression. Sadly, Turkey's courts have fallen for the trap set for them by banning the messenger, rather than going after the author, and demanding the offending videos be removed.
Surely a proper way of dealing with this would be for the court order to be granted against youtube, demanding the immediate removal of the offending materials, coupled with an undertaking to police the site to prevent the videos from simply reappearing. Non compliance would leave youtube in the frame as co-defendant for the act of libel, and this would be a huge corporate embarrassment for the owners.

The comment about American soldiers and human rights is the result of the axim "power corrupts". It seems a minority of soldiers (and not just American ones either) have abused their positions of absolute power over detainees in this ongoing war on terror. Since we here in the UK have a free press (almost ), I have found my favourite TV shows frequently cancelled so that a special documentary can run after attempts to silence it by polititians have failed. Not only do we get to see what the fuss is about, we also get to hear how the powers that be tried to cover it up. Where the state runs pretty much everything, it is far easier for such uncomfortable facts to be covered up, and remain that way. It also allows the pursuit of personal gain for those in positions of power to take over from the good of the nation, without fear of exposure.

[Casinomeister]

The comment about American soldiers ...

...was directed towards me. dreamtheatre likes to rag on me because I was a GI once

But it's okay, he has a good taste in film and in music so I tolerate it. Plus, who can hold anything against someone who comes from a country named after food.