Finland

Two members of the European Union appear headed in opposite directions as far as regulating online poker. One country is considering abolishing existing restrictive legislation, while the other is preparing to regulate online poker for the first time.

The French appear ready to reconsider their online gambling monopoly perhaps due to pressure the European Union. France is reportedly reconsidering its policies regarding online gambling. French residents may soon get the chance to again play at a regulated online gambling sites.

French law currently states that online betting is not allowed. However, the European Commission of the EU is pressuring France to conform to the EU treaty regarding free competition with other member nations. Reliable sources have the new regulations allowing online betting on sporting events – including poker games.

Finland, on the other hand, currently does not regulate online poker but is now looking at this source of taxable income. Gambling in Finland is organized as a national monopoly, but online poker has yet to be managed by government agencies.

I widely circulated report found that Finns spend as much as 50 million Euros annually on foreign online poker sites. Finnish officials obviously feel they could or should keep a significant portion of that money within Finland and, of course, tax it. Their problem will be the same as so many other member nations have faced, the EU regulations.

Sometimes you just have to take your hat off to some of the ways that governments dream up to mess with our lives. Today we offer a salute to the government of Finland for a brilliant example of creative governance.

We all know that many countries want to control (tax) online gaming revenues, which generally means they want their citizens to only gamble on their state controlled sites. The problem with that is, of course, all of these countries have trade agreements and restricting gambling online violations those treaties. So we hear endlessly about Antigua, White Zones, UIGEA, ad nauseum.

The truly innovative regulators from the Finnish Ministry of Health have stepped up with an idea so far ahead of its time that we simply must tip our clown hats to them. They have proposed allowing all Finnish citizens full access to any and all gaming sites online with no restrictions. Oh, except that every citizen of Finland who loses money playing online, would have the right to sue their credit card company or bank for those losses. You see it would be illegal to lose money online. You see gambling, including poker, is a pyramid scheme to move money from the losers to the winners. You gotta love the illogic. Not to mention the sheer creativity of the proposal.

Don't be shocked but Finland has been added to the European Union's list of countries that are currently in dispute over compliance with EU trade and tariff regulations concerning online gaming.

You have to admit, it was creative!