Tuesday, March 27, 2007

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Sweden's largest poker tournament raided by police

By Erik Sylven

Close to 700 people had gathered in Grebbestad, Sweden over the weekend to play in one of the biggest poker tournaments in Europe. No winner was decided, however, as things came to an abrupt ending on Friday night when police raided the tournament.

Hosting poker tournaments for profit is considered illegal in Sweden, and two men will be facing charges for their involvement in the European Poker Challenge (EPC) 2007 in Grebbestad.

On Monday night, prosecutor Linn Scholander demanded that the two men should be detained in custody. If convicted in a court of law, they will be facing up to four years in prison.

The tournament in Grebbestad is not an event attracting lots of big names, but poker enthusiasts from of all over Europe had come to play this weekend.

Almost 700 people had paid the €250 buy-in, making the EPC 2007 one of the biggest poker tournaments in Europe when it comes to the number of entrants.

All the players had to stand up and leave the poker tables when police officers entered the building.

What will happen to the player's buy-ins has not been decided, but none of the participants will be facing any charges.

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