IRISH SNAFU

23 March 2007

Law enforcement in Ireland needs to brush up on their legal powers

This week's Northern Ireland Poker Championships were ruined by the questionable actions of the local Garda (police) who closed the event down despite its apparent legality.

Barely an hour from the start of the event, which attracted players from UK and Europe in addition to domestic talent, the local cops threatened the hotel venue with prosecution and loss of license if the tournament went ahead. The organisers tried for a compromise despite their conviction that they were completely legal, offering to donate profits to charity, but the police would not be moved and the event collapsed.... all without anyone seeming to know why.

The venue had already been moved to the City North Hotel - just outside of Dublin and a short drive from the site of the 2007 Irish Open set for April 5-9 - to avoid any uncertainties surrounding the legal situation for poker in the North. And poker tournaments with a one-off registration fee are supposed to be legal in Ireland.

The organisers returned the GBP 1 000 entry fee to the disappointed players, together with an additional GBP 100 as the projected overlay on the prizepool.

For players that had travelled to reach the venue, and those who qualified online for it at sites like Betfair Poker and Pacific Poker, it was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly for no apparent reason.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

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