Are Norway Set To Follow The US Route And Ban Online Poker?

09.27.2007 | 10:03 pm | Poker, News, Poker Stars

While an announcement by the Norwegian authorities that they are considering banning online Poker would not normally rank as big news in the overall picture of online gaming, there are concerns that the tide in Europe may be turning against the industry.  In what many see as a constant battle by the various governments around the world to extract more tax from the industry, it looks as though recent Norwegian Poker Champion Annette Obrestad may struggle to defend her crown next year.

Even though online gaming has been at odds with the spirit of Norwegian law for some time, nobody ever thought that the authorities would take this leap in line with the US.  While the Norwegian Culture Minister citied concerns about the potential for a growing gambling problem in the country, there are some in the EU who suggest that the ban may be illegal and against the principle of free trade.   Or is it just a cynical ploy by the authorities to reign in the power of the Poker sites?

We only need to look back to a similar situation with slot machines in the country, and again, the concerns that this may lead to out of control gambling amongst certain areas of society.  What did the authorities do? They only took over the running of all slot machines in Norway, and while they introduced “less aggressive” machines, they saw a major bounce in their income for the government coffers!

The subject of control of the online gaming industry is set to rumble on for some time, and while there are a number of countries vying for top spot, it make take a consortium of countries to exert any meaningful control over the industry.  Norway may just be on of the cogs in the wheel, but it will be interesting to see if any of their EU counter parts follow.