It's That Time o' Year Again
Fall is, traditionally, the poker tournament season in the Netherlands. Holland Casino recognizes the effect that the
World Series of Poker has on the popularity of poker worldwide, and makes sure to squeeze as many events as possible into the period after the
Series. These events, like the
Utrecht Summer Classics, Breda Series of Poker, and
Lighttown Series of Poker, have been a great success this year, not in the least for my fellow Dutch News columnist Peter Dalhuijsen. "The Dal" won back-to-back titles during the
Summer Classics in his hometown of Utrecht, and even made it to three-in-a-row final tables! Sadly, the instant legend came just short of also winning the main event (the third final table in his series), but that probably will not stop the organization from renaming the event
The Dal Classics.
These smaller events during the summer and early fall lead up to the pinnacle of Dutch tournament poker: the
Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam. Last year, I was happy to take care of the official daily reports of the main event of the
MCOP, following the action up close and personal. Although the hours were not particularly great, the atmosphere was fantastic. It is truly a homecoming for all professional Dutch players; it's like the
World Series, only much closer (for most).
This year, the
MCOP is getting even more coverage by the Holland Casino media machine than before. The website of the casino has been covered in poker for the last several months, as the casino invites people to come play in one of the smaller tournaments leading up to the
MCOP or in one of the satellites for the main event. Satellites and qualifiers for the satellites are now even running in other casinos, making the main event more accessible to people from the south of Holland; that is, people from the south of Holland who don't mind 20 percent of their buy-in for the qualifiers being taken as rake.
As usual, Holland Casino is showing two faces. For the high rollers who can afford to buy in directly to the
MCOP, the rake of €100 on the €5,000 buy-in for the main event is a great deal. But the players with limited bankrolls are not offered such a bargain, and will have to pay at least a total of €750 (15 percent) combined rake if they reach the main event through a qualifier and a satellite. Peter Dalhuijsen touched on this subject last month, as well: Holland Casino still does not seem to take the wishes of the players with modest resources into account.
Legal Issues
Due to recent developments, Holland Casino might soon be the only legal option for the Dutch to play poker. After many raids of live private poker tournaments and cash games, the Dutch government - sole proprietor of Holland Casino - is now looking to prohibit poker on the Internet, as well: Those who still believe the Netherlands to be a country of free choices might be heavily disappointed when they try to open up an online cash table on their laptop if they come to visit next year.
It is the current government's wish to prohibit all online poker as of next year, and to allow only Holland Casino to exploit the possibilities of online casinos. The reasons for that - prevention of gambling addiction, regulation of the market, and the inconsistency of Holland Casino in these matters (many advertising campaigns, and little active recognition of addicted players) are often subjects of discussion on the Dutch poker scene and have been covered many times in this column. But, finally, the European Union has decided to step in.
Several sources report that in a confidential letter that was sent by European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy in March, Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Balin was told that the Dutch law on gambling was contradicting most European laws on open trade. And it seems that the Dutch government has stalled this case long enough. It has tried to convince the European Union that it was actively trying to prevent gambling addiction with what McCreevy's letter reportedly classifies as wrong information: It was said that the Dutch government misinformed the European Commission about certain marketing expenses. If everything goes according to the wishes of the European Union, the monopoly of Holland Casino in the Netherlands will someday be over.
But the European Union might not be ready to step in immediately. After all, the letter to our Minister was sent in March of this year. Luckily, there is also something that we as poker players can do to at least be able to play online if we desire to do so. The Dutch Pokerbond (the Dutch union of poker players) has started a petition to prevent the new online poker prohibition to go into effect next year. I think it is crucial for the game of poker in the Netherlands that as many poker players as possible sign this petition. You can find it at www.pokerbond.nl/pokerpetitie. If you haven't already, go and sign the form; do not let your voice go to waste.
Anthon-Pieter Wink is a writer for pokerinfo.nl.
