Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007

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Swedish government targets poker clubs

By Erik Sylven

According to the Swedish gaming board Lotteriinspektionen, illegal poker playing in the country is getting out of hand. The institution is now demanding police crack down on underground clubs.

In Sweden, the government-owned company Svenska Spel has a monopoly on hosting poker games, both live and online.

Despite this, a number of illegal poker clubs exist, and many of them openly advertise their business on the Internet.

According to a report produced by Lotteriinspektionen, there are around one hundred poker clubs operating in Sweden.

"In almost every Swedish town there are one or more poker clubs where illegal poker tournaments for money are held several times a week," Lotteriinspektionen writes in the report.

The government-run institution is urging the police to take action. "It's exceptional that criminal activities are allowed to go on openly and unprohibited," the report states.

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