Sweden Targets Illegal Poker

Lotteriinspektionen, the gaming board in Sweden, has said to the police to adopt a tougher and more active approach to what it called ‘underground poker clubs'.
With approximately one hundred private poker clubs operating in Sweden a report issued claimed that illegal poker playing in the country is getting out of hand.

The gaming board statement said: 'In almost every Swedish town there are one or more poker clubs where illegal poker tournaments for money are held several times a week'. 'It is extraordinary that criminal activities are allowed to go on openly and unprohibited."

Svenska Spel, the gambling organisation owned by the Government, has a monopoly in Sweden for providing live and online poker games, but poker clubs still continue to openly advertise their services on the Internet.

To ensure gaming related companies in the country are abiding by the monopoly law, the Government requested detailed information on all the employees of 24h Poker as a first step. Along with other information, 24h Poker was asked to provide information regarding job descriptions and the company's trademark to the gaming board immediately.

Chief Legal Advisor for Lotteriinspektionen, Hakan Hallstedt said: "Many gaming companies are listed in Sweden and have their employees here."

"None of them are permitted to work with gaming related tasks in Sweden as this is illegal yet most of their revenue comes from gaming."