Sweden Proposes Blocking of Foreign Poker SitesState Censorship of Internet Proposed to Ban Foreign Gambling Sites |
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StockholmNews.com has today reported the backlash over the Swedish government’s proposals suggested in its gambling report.
State censorship of the Internet is the general theme of the government’s proposals in the report, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Finance, and has so far been met with opposition from many important agencies.
The proposal to filter Internet access in order to prevent people living in Sweden from reaching foreign onine gambling and poker sites, has been largely deemed by the consultative body as a form of censorship which would be one step too far.
This proposal, which is one of many in the report, means that foreign online gambling companies would be blocked by Internet service providers (ISP’s), and that a government agency would decide which sites would be banned and inform people trying to access those sites that they are illegal.
The majority of ISP’s and authorities totally disagree with these suggestions believing that they would limit an individual’s freedom of speech, and also highlight the fact that it is not yet illegal to visit such sites, so people should not be prevented from doing so.
Next Wednesday is the last day for the consultative body to respond to the government’s report. Until then, no comments will be made in response to the consultative body’s objections.
This time last year, a leading Swedish lawyer claimed the time could be ripe for private betting operators to strike marketing deals in Sweden and position themselves ahead of possible liberalisation of the market after 2010. However, as gambling continues to be regulated by the state in Sweden, with the state owned gambling company Svenska Spel in a dominating position, the saga continues one year later.
There is hope however that next Wednesday will see some progression towards liberating the market.
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