Legalise internet poker, says government commission

Tuesday 24 August 2010

The government should give up its barely-enforced monopoly and licence a small number of online poker companies, a justice ministry commission says.

At the moment, the Dutch state has an official monopoly on internet gambling but officials seldom take action against the dozens of online poker sites which operate in the Netherlands.

To stop foreign companies targeting Dutch poker players, internet service providers would have to block access to their websites, the commission says in its report.

The commission was set up by caretaker justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin to look at the potential legalisation of online gambling.

In July a court in The Hague ruled poker is not a game of chance and the organiser of a poker tournament cannot be prosecuted for breaking gambling laws.

© DutchNews.nl

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