TV warned about poker shows
Friday 20 March 2009
Three television broadcasters and one production company have been warned by justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin to stop making programmes about the gambling game poker.
‘The broadcasters have overstepped the mark. These programmes give people the idea that poker is completely legal and harmless,’ the NRC reports the minister as saying during a debate on Thursday.
Under Dutch gambling law, poker may only be played in branches of the state-owned monopoly holder Holland Casino. Playing poker online is illegal and it may only be played in private homes if no money changes hands.
According to the Dutch poker association, some 800,000 people in Holland play the game, the paper says.
Hirsch Ballin made his comments in response to calls from two MPs for a more liberal attitude to poker.
© DutchNews.nl
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Friday: Cold and sunny everywhere. Heavy frost at night. Similar Saturday but thaw possible Sunday
'These programmes give people the idea that poker is completely legal and harmless,’
Next thing you know, the government will be handing out safety foam for forks. I mean think about it, you could accidentally poke someone.. you're obviously not smart enough to make your own decision governing your life.
By Pete | March 21, 2009 5:40 PM