The Greek government has banned all electronic games across the country, including those that run on home computers, on GameBoy-style portable consoles, and on mobile phones. Thousands of tourists in Greece are unknowingly facing heavy fines or long terms in prison for owning mobile phones or portable video games.
Greek Law Number 3037, enacted at the end of July, explicitly forbids electronic games with "electronic mechanisms and software" from public and private places, and people have already been fined tens of thousands of dollars for playing or owning games.
The law applies equally to visitors from abroad: "If you know these things are banned, you should not bring them in," said a commercial attach? at the Greek Embassy in London, who declined to give her name.
Internet cafes will be allowed to continue to operate, providing no games-playing takes place. If a customer is found to be running any sort of game, including online chess, the cafe owner will be fined and the place closed.
The Greek government introduced the law in an attempt to prevent illegal gambling. According to a report in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Greek police will be responsible for catching offenders, who will face fines of 5,000 to 75,000 euros (about $4,980 to $74,650) and imprisonment of one to 12 months. "The blanket ban was decided in February after the government admitted it was incapable of distinguishing innocuous video games from illegal gambling machines," the report said.
The Greek gaming community has reacted with a mixture of shock, disbelief and anger. One Web site, www.gameland.gr, has started a news service about the ban and opened a petition to protest it. In addition, it is posting English translations of the law and messages of support from around the world.
A test case is to come before the Greek courts next week, and the Greek gaming community is already planning protests in the event that the defendant is convicted.
"We are trying to organize a protest against this law," said Petros Tipis of Thessaloniki-based gaming company Reload Entertainment, which has had to cancel a gaming tournament that was to be held this week.
If the prosecution of the defendant next week is successful, said Tipis, the Greek gaming industry will take the case to the European Court.
In the meantime, Tipis told ZDNet UK, a lot of people in Greece are very worried about the new law. "They are taking it very seriously," he said. "It even affects the games that come with Windows. This law isn't the right one," he added. "It is unfair. It was introduced too quickly."
Reload's tournament, which was to be held Fridah, was a qualifier for the CPL Oslo 2002 gaming tournament. "Now we are trying not to lose the two slots we were given from CPL for the tournament," Tipis said. "This was the first time for a qualifier (for this tournament) in Greece."
ZDNet UK's Rupert Goodwins and Matt Loney reported from London.
I know Greece has it's problmes, but let's be realistic guys. You make it sound like we are falling back into a gustapo era where everything is banned. Get your facts right. Moron.
I know Greece has it's problmes, but let's be realistic guys. You make it sound like we are falling back into a gustapo era where everything is banned. Get your facts right. Moron.
The law 3037/02 is ABOUT TO RE PASS IN AUGUST 2008. I cant help u more except letting u know all about it by giving the page of European Commission site with the dates that Greek comity gave it:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris/pisa/app/search/index.cfm?iYear=2008&sCountry=GR&
and the same law written in Greek also in the same site:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris/pisa/app/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=getdraft&inum=1407779
and if u cant translate it just to tell u the 4 new changes that Greek democratic politicians made to fight the DIRTY MONEY and the SLOT MACHINES:
1) Under 18 years old , don't aloud to enter in the net cafes
2) Net cafes will work from 9 the morning till 1 the night
3) Net cafes must pay the fee of 1000 euro per computer in em
4) Doesn't aloud any type of game in the internet cafe
So with a few words if u have a slot machine store and u pay , u don't have underage people and u keep the hours being told, u are LEGAL
If u have a net cafe and a 17 year old or even a 20 years old come and play WoW or Pro , u re ILLEGAL with him too ! People that will go in net cafes are criminals but in slot machine store are ok !
As for the smart that wrote above about the store that uses remotes i can say 2 things: Or he has some kind of slot machine store and he need the law to pass smooth, or he lives in the same age as my grandma if she and he think that u need remotes and night in Greece of 2008 to change secretly the pc's to slot machines.
Simple enough , politicians are making RIDICULOUS laws just to make slot machines LEGAL, so they can earn their personal fees and they don't even care about hardworking people or even penny fighting businessman.
Maybe in Greek but here some interesting sites but written in Greek's
http://www.netcafe.gr/articles/about-game-ban-in-greece-law-3037.html
http://www.adslgr.com/forum/showthread.php?t=210568
http://parthenis.gr/3037-02.html
above all Cnet never made wrong by posting this facts. Morons are the ones that like to talk and judge by their personal thoughts and not by trying to learn the facts.
The law 3037/02 is ABOUT TO RE PASS IN AUGUST 2008. I cant help u more except letting u know all about it by giving the page of European Commission site with the dates that Greek comity gave it:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris/pisa/app/search/index.cfm?iYear=2008&sCountry=GR&
and the same law written in Greek also in the same site:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris/pisa/app/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=getdraft&inum=1407779
and if u cant translate it just to tell u the 4 new changes that Greek democratic politicians made to fight the DIRTY MONEY and the SLOT MACHINES:
1) Under 18 years old , don't aloud to enter in the net cafes
2) Net cafes will work from 9 the morning till 1 the night
3) Net cafes must pay the fee of 1000 euro per computer in em
4) Doesn't aloud any type of game in the internet cafe
So with a few words if u have a slot machine store and u pay , u don't have underage people and u keep the hours being told, u are LEGAL
If u have a net cafe and a 17 year old or even a 20 years old come and play WoW or Pro , u re ILLEGAL with him too ! People that will go in net cafes are criminals but in slot machine store are ok !
As for the smart that wrote above about the store that uses remotes i can say 2 things: Or he has some kind of slot machine store and he need the law to pass smooth, or he lives in the same age as my grandma if she and he think that u need remotes and night in Greece of 2008 to change secretly the pc's to slot machines.
Simple enough , politicians are making RIDICULOUS laws just to make slot machines LEGAL, so they can earn their personal fees and they don't even care about hardworking people or even penny fighting businessman.
Maybe in Greek but here some interesting sites but written in Greek's
http://www.netcafe.gr/articles/about-game-ban-in-greece-law-3037.html
http://www.adslgr.com/forum/showthread.php?t=210568
http://parthenis.gr/3037-02.html
above all Cnet never made wrong by posting this facts. Morons are the ones that like to talk and judge by their personal thoughts and not by trying to learn the facts.
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123jhon
WoW Gold
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Tumeroks
- by sega31098 March 13, 2009 5:59 PM PDT
- The law has been overturned already, so now you can play as much video games as you want in Greece now. Then listen to what BIG LIE said.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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