minor point on German situation

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So some German states are trying to ban online poker - in order to protect their state "monopoly" lotteries. This is illegal under general european law regarding gambling, but that never really hindered people before - it's a pretty minor piece of legislation so it could easily slip under the radar of most people who cared.

But, it's also illegal under even more serious european law - that of the right to free trade and free movement of workers within the EU.

Surely, if a professional poker player from the UK were to relocate to Germany and played poker online, it would be illegal for that German state to restrict their legal working rights? Online poker is not only legal with the UK the government is actively promoting it.

[nichtsnutz]

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So some German states are trying to ban online poker

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What's your source on that?

[Richas]

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Surely, if a professional poker player from the UK were to relocate to Germany and played poker online, it would be illegal for that German state to restrict their legal working rights? Online poker is not only legal with the UK the government is actively promoting it.

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Not quite. I think the UK gov is actively promoting the location of poker sites in the UK so that they can regulate them, actively promoting international agreement on the regulation of online gambling and in Sept they will even allow UK licensed sites to advertise (and clamp down on the rest) but they are not actively promoting online gambling or poker. They are regulating it.

In the media in the UK this is presented as a tax grab but in reality it is about consumer protection and making the sites help problem gamblers more than tax ( thks for the tax though guys).

The EU will uphold the freedom to bet online. The UK/German guy has few worries wherever he is compared to the US.

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So some German states are trying to ban online poker

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What's your source on that?

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Just google it, but here's one for example:

http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...n-hassles.html


It's currently stalled but they those states are determined to get their way.

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Surely, if a professional poker player from the UK were to relocate to Germany and played poker online, it would be illegal for that German state to restrict their legal working rights? Online poker is not only legal with the UK the government is actively promoting it.

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Not quite. I think the UK gov is actively promoting the location of poker sites in the UK so that they can regulate them, actively promoting international agreement on the regulation of online gambling and in Sept they will even allow UK licensed sites to advertise (and clamp down on the rest) but they are not actively promoting online gambling or poker. They are regulating it.

In the media in the UK this is presented as a tax grab but in reality it is about consumer protection and making the sites help problem gamblers more than tax ( thks for the tax though guys).

The EU will uphold the freedom to bet online. The UK/German guy has few worries wherever he is compared to the US.

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OK, so wmaybe I wasn't as precise as I should have been. Like most governments they can't explicitly say they promote the game itself. But, by providing the legal framework to regulate online gambling they effectively legalise the past-time as a legitimate revenue source. It is therefore a job and should be protected under the standard EU legislation regarding freedom of workers to move and work within the EU.