Wednesday, March 7, 2007

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Poker club busted in Norway

By Sarah Polson

Armed police arrested 32 people Monday night during the raid of a poker club in Strommen, northeast of Oslo, Norway. Aftenposten reported the raid and said authorities claim the game was illegally organized poker playing.

The persons believed to be the organizers of the poker club continued to be held while the remainder of those arrested were fined and allowed to go home.

According to Norwegian Broadcasting, the people arrested were a wide variety of men from regular fathers to gang members. The Romerike Police District prosecutor said it was hard to find connections between them other than the poker club.

Authorities had been investigating the poker club and believe that it violates laws against organized gaming in Norway.

Norges Pokerforbund, Norway's poker association, criticized the raid as an overreaction by authorities. One member said the police have more important things to focus on rather than busting people playing poker for a few hundred kroner.

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