Poker tournament in Sweden bust

**jetset** · 28th March 2007, 11:48 AM

NOW THE SWEDISH COPS BUST A POKER TOURNAMENT

You can play for fun but not for profit appears to be the rule in Sweden.

Hard on the heels of a similar police action in Ireland last week (see previous InfoPowa report) the Swedish police broke up a major poker tournament this week in Grebbestad.

Some 700 poker fans had gathered over the weekend to play in a major tournament billed the Euopean Poker Challenge 2007, but like the Irish event the Challenge evaporated as the police closed everything down. Two as yet unidentified men thought to be the organisers will face charges, according to Swedish authorities, who claim that hosting unauthorised poker tournaments for profit is considered illegal in Sweden.

Prosecutor Linn Scholander was taking a hard line on the arrested men, demanding that they should be detained in custody pending criminal trial, where they could face up to four years in a Swedish jail.

Entrants for the tournament, which was widely publicised had each paid a Euro 250 buy-in, making the EPC 2007 one of the biggest poker tournaments in Europe when it comes to the number of entrants. As we went to press it was unclear what would happen to the deposited cash.

**maaster** · 28th March 2007, 01:52 PM

i see this trend also going on in the netherlands where i live... its crap i hate it

police & tax goverment closing down poker tourneys, because Holland Casino (by law) is the only casinofirm (government property) that may offer pokertourneys and gaming.....

BUT

the last rumors (i don't know if its true) said the EU is filing complaints about not letting foreign companies (like Harrah's Entertainment) operate in the Netherlands so maybe just maybe.... in the future we get those companies to establish operations in the netherlands.

Lets hope so!!

**maaster** · 28th March 2007, 01:55 PM

http://www.olswang.com/news.asp?page...d=110&aid=1343

extra extra

**jetset** · 28th March 2007, 02:29 PM

I think you should note that the above olswang material is dated March 2006 and there have been some dramatic developments since then, most notably a complete about-face by Italy which is now licensing online gambling companies from other EU states.

You're right about the Netherlands being on the European Commission hit list regarding free movement of services from other EU states - the EC confirmed that as recently as last week, and the upcoming Cryptologic-powered revamped Holland Casino will only aggravate the situation.

**purplenaomi** · 28th March 2007, 02:37 PM

I know that in Norway a couple of club owners were arrested for holding poker tournaments a couple of years ago. As a way of working round this problem we held freeroll poker tournament in Norway with prizes like a trip to Japan.

We are hoping to repeat the success of our Norway trip this summer and have a tour of Sweden planned with similar prizes, so as to avoid any problems with the law!