Another EU member nation will add poker to its State run gaming site. This time Austria is seeking to control the revenues from online poker.
“Casinos Austria would shortly set up an online virtual poker room on its gambling platform Win2day. Casinos Austria has bought the technology for its new QQWIN99 offering in Sweden. Casinos Austria would impose a new weekly limit of 800 Euros in bets by an individual as part of its effort to fight addiction to gambling.”
As more and more European Union members opt for the State operated gaming sites over free market competition, it is becoming more and more obvious that there will be a boiling point in this trade war that will require the EU as a whole to decide if online gaming is or is not a open trade commodity.
The Balkanization of poker is becoming more and more a real possibility. If this happens everyone will be limited to playing online poker with only members of their own country or cooperative trading nations. The global freedom of the internet may actually meet its first defeat at the hands of governmental controlled poker games.
I Coulda Been Goin’ to Rio!
OK the U.S. Congress screwed up a lot of people with that dumb ass Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act. Personally, I lost access to my two favorite online poker sites and the sites I now play on have complicated machinations to get my money in and out. I also had a nice chunk of my bankroll tied up with Neteller for nearly a year and I have to write letters to politicians who I wouldn’t let in my dog’s house. Yes, yes, ever red-blooded American (French, German, Turkish, Canadian, Danish, etc.) poker player has some or all or more complaints about the …