POKER ROOM REVIEW NEWSWIRE

Dutch Bankers Rebel against UIGEA Policing

Dutch Justice Minister Hirsch Ballin is trying to bully the country's bankers again, this time over his attempt to enforce a UIGEA-inspired initiative that involves the banks refusing to process financial transactions with online gambling companies. Ballin gave notice that the Ministry of Justice intended targeting financial institutions involved in 'illegal' financial transactions with unlicensed Internet gambling companies.

The Netherlands Bankers Association (NVB) fired back and formally advised Ballin that his plans were impossible to implement and unworkable in a practical sense. The NVB told the Minister that his plan to use Dutch financial institutions to police online poker and Internet gambling sites is neither practical nor legal, and that the role of policeman is not part of the banking industry's responsibilities.