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EU Warns Greece To Change Video Game Law... Yet Again
from the nice-try,-fellas! dept
Stop! Or we may have to warn you again! You may recall all the silliness going on in Greece thanks to their bizarre decision a few years ago to ban all video games, because some politicians couldn't be bothered to figure out the difference between solitaire or chess and online gambling. They were quickly warned by the EU that this went against EU laws and were told to change the law immediately. The folks in Greece ignored the demand and police continue to throw cybercafe operators in jail (only to have judges toss out every case). After waiting seven or eight months, and realizing Greece wasn't budging, the European Commission decided it was time to get tough and (get this!) warned Greece again last July. Considering the warning was identical to the earlier one, and not doing anything didn't seem to make things worse, Greek politicians ignored the order again. So, now, nine months later, the EC is really getting tough. No, seriously. This time they mean it. They've gone so far as to... demand they change the law once again. That's right. Show them how tough you are, EC. Considering they've ignored the last two such warnings over a year and a half, didn't someone think that maybe it was time to try a different strategy?
Reader Comments
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Next step - nukage
No offense, but would anybody really miss Greece?
One small tactical nuke wherever the primary rulers live should convince the rest of the EU countries that the EU council means business.
Sure my idea is asinine, but no worse than arresting people who's only crime is violating a stupid law that even the judges won't prosecute under.
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Can't have it both ways.
The EU isn't a country. Their actual ability to 'force' anybody to do anything without support from member states is pretty much non-existent, and that's the way it should be.
Otherwise you got an unelected head dictator of Europe with their own police force and army.
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Olympic Hilarity
Wouldn't it be funny if the NBA players on the USA Basketball team were arrested at the border for attempting to smuggle their PS2's into the country during the Summer Olympics?
No video games of any kind, eh? That's going to be the most boring Olympic Village since the Moscow games in 1980.
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Re: Olympic Hilarity
I wrote a blog article two years ago about this and the facts haven't really changed. This law is about gambling in arcades, not video games in private homes. It sucks that the Greek state cannot enforce the various gambling bans, but that doesn't mean this law is necessarily stupid. And of course, PC-games, or Xboxes or PS2s are perfectly legal and still (widely) sold in Greece. The people who are fighting this ban are mostly net cafe owners who had a nice side-business in pimping online casinos...
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