Finland To Ban Online Poker

[lottomode777]

The thing is censoring of the internet is a very touchy subject... how could you block gambling sites when even child pornography sites aren't blocked? Something that strong would cause huge public outrage.

When a site is out of jurisdiction of the country and it's laws, you can't do anything about it. If there are any child pornography sites operating in the United States, they would most likely be shut down, and anyone caught of owning such material would also be prosecuted under the law. I have read several articles of Computer technicians finding child porn on people's computers, and reporting them to the police.

And how would you even come to know about these sites that aren't blocked.... ... <_<.... >_>...

 

[Egon Towst]

I have read several articles of Computer technicians finding child porn on people's computers, and reporting them to the police.

I was once involved in such a case. The It company I worked for at the time found such material on a customer`s PC and reported it.

The Police were very clever in the way they handled it. Two officers (in plain clothes) borrowed one of our company vehicles and delivered the computer back to him, posing as our delivery men.

They asked him to check the computer and sign for it. As soon as he had done so, they produced their ID and said, "Ok, since you confirm that this is your computer, we would like to hear your explanation of the indecent material on your hard drive, on account of we are Police Officers."

 

[Monoxide]

The thing is censoring of the internet is a very touchy subject... how could you block gambling sites when even child pornography sites aren't blocked? Something that strong would cause huge public outrage.

Ding.


Its because you cant regulate the internet, exactly as you say.

Its simply near-impossible.

 

[Monoxide]

It wouldn't be that hard, force the ISPs to block gambling sites, force the credit card companies to not fund gambling sites, seize funds coming from gambling sites, monitor network traffic and aggressively pursue violators. That'd make it difficult and dangerous enough to make it unfeasible for the vast majority of players. Not that I support such Draconian measures but it's certainly possible.

It would cost millions to hire people to do this though. Hence why i say near-impossible, realistically it wouldnt happen.

Overall -EV for their gov't

 

[pokerchris]

Finland Proposes State-Owned Online Poke

finland Proposes State-Owned online poker 23 January 2008

Less than a week after a senior official at Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health told Gaming Intelligence Group that his country had no intention of launching a state-run online poker site, Stefan Wallin, the Minister of Culture and Sports, has proposed just such a move.
Mr. Wallin justifies his proposal on the basis that the current system is ‘unsatisfactory’. He cites “increasing cases of problem gambling” as one reason, and more crucially that “the winnings of existing gaming websites are flowing to companies operating from foreign tax havens.”

The Minister has suggested that one of the Finnish gambling monopolies, Veikkaus or RAY, should take control of online gambling “so that the profits could be channelled to benefit civic society.” He also believes that a national system would “exclude underage players.”

In an interview last week, Mr. Kari Paaso from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health told GIG that if online gaming was banned in Finland, the state would not offer an alternative.

“If online gambling is harmful to Finnish citizens, we will be clear about it and offer no online gambling opportunities,” he said. “The government will not offer something like the Swedish online poker site. It does not seem right, on the one hand offering online poker to your citizens, and on the other hand blocking others from doing the same.”

Commenting on yesterday’s proposal from the Culture and Sports Minister, Mr. Paaso told GIG that it was still his opinion, and that of his department, that a state-operated online gaming business would not necessarily help to reduce gambling problems, as experience has shown in Sweden.

Mr. Paaso said that the increase in problem gambling which Mr. Wallin referred to was highlighted in a 2007 report on the subject, however he was unable to say whether the increase in problem gambling related to online gaming, or the highly addictive video gaming machines which Finns may legally play from the age of 15.

Mr. Paaso went on to say that the Internal Affairs committee set up to investigate problem gambling in Finland should be allowed to complete its investigation before any decision is taken.

“At the moment the idea of a national poker site is just one persons opinion,” said Mr. Paaso, “but as Minister for Culture and Sports, his opinion is an important one.”

Mr. Wallin’s Ministry of Culture and Sports is the department which controls the state-gaming monopoly, Veikkaus.

 

[AlexeiVronsky]

I wonder if Americans could play on the Finnish site

 

[Alon Ipser]

There's an idea, maybe the poker companies should regulate the governments, instead of the other way around. Governments end up "misplacing" money all the time, when absolute messed up it paid all the people involved along with a fine. All in favor of having pokerstars regulate the US federal government

It works that way already. It just happens that the Poker companies here in Washington State are owned by Indian casinos who don't like online gambling.

 

[AlexeiVronsky]

I can understand not liking online gambling, but online poker is a whole other story. So anyone have an extra $10+ mill or so to buy an island in international waters and set up a poker site?