| Police in Rome, Italy, last weekend, raided a poker | | | | According to italian law, "Those who profit, directly or |
| tournament last and confiscated all objects used in the | | | | indirectly, from organizing gambling in facilities that they |
| the game, including 12 poker tables,all the chips and | | | | are responsible for, should be punished for gambling |
| cards. The game was running for less than an hour | | | | promotion". That's mean also that if you put a |
| before the local "cops" s came. Over 100 players | | | | promotional banner of an online casino on your internet |
| registered for the tournament. "But it's a legal way for | | | | site you committe a crime. The director of the club |
| playing" said A.F., the director of the club and organizer | | | | was shocked by the police action. Said that, "did not |
| of the tournment. Permitted from the italian law | | | | believe anything illegal had taken place in his club, the |
| (FINANZIARIA 2007). The prize pool was around the | | | | only sum he earned was the rent of the club by a |
| 3.000 Euro, this looked like being a highly successful | | | | bridge and poker club...obout 220 Euro." |
| event for organiser, but the prize pool was not high ( | | | | But is it legal to collect fee when people play bingo or |
| that's shoud mean in Italy: NO GAMBLOING). However, | | | | bridge in Italy? But is it legal if you pay a win of a poker |
| within an hour of the game starting the italian police | | | | tournment? |
| had other ideas, and closed the tournment. | | | | But is it legal to organize a poker tournment in Italy? |
| Gambling not in one of the only 4 Italian Casinos | | | | "If collecting fee is legal when people play Bingo, it |
| (Casino di Campione,Casino di Saint Vincent, Casino di | | | | should be legal to collect the same fees for poker |
| Venezia and Casino di Sanremo)is illegal in Italy and this | | | | players, it's unfair that playing for money is only illegal |
| appears to be the basis of the police intervention. | | | | when playing poker". |