The Danish parliament gave its final approval to the partial liberalisation of the online gambling market in Denmark. While the application of the law was initially planned for January 1, 2011, recent developments have pushed the entry into force to an unknown date.

Denmark’s parliament is on course to discuss legislation in October to make private poker tournaments legal, after the country’s Supreme Court confirmed the game is one of chance under Danish law.

The Danish government is remaining cagey on its plans to issue new licences for online betting, poker and casino games - despite submitting a draft legal proposal to EU trade officials last week.

A long-awaited partial liberalisation of the Danish gambling market has been confirmed in an announcement by the country’s tax ministry, with licences for online sports betting, casino games and poker all set to be made available under forthcoming legal reforms.

Objections raised by land-based operators mean the opening of Denmark’s online gambling market faces possible delays while the government notifies further details of its newly-approved legislation to the European Commission.

Skill games, including poker and multiplayer role-playing games such as Second Life, are being examined by the Danish authorities due to a range of consumer protection issues including advertising and sales taxes. But it is a broader review of Denmark’s gaming laws that holds the potential to clarify the fast growing area of concern.

As dust begins to gather on the report of the Irish Government’s casino review committee, international experts have warned that Ireland should not dither in implementing the committee’s recommendations via concrete legislative reform. However, weighing hard on politicians are concerns about how regulatory change will affect the Irish racing industry.

A Danish municipal court has ruled that tournament poker is primarily a game of skill, allowing tournament organisers to avoid prosecution under Danish law. The verdict could see club owners and online operators cash in on poker’s burgeoning popularity in Denmark.

Poker players in Scandinavia are suffering more than their brethren around the world, thanks to the zero tolerance policy that appears to have been tacitly agreed to by the authorities.

In the final part of a survey of global internet gambling payments bans, GamblingCompliance looks at recent measures taken in Norway and Holland that would oblige banks to block online gambling transactions. The success or failure of these two projects could determine the viability of payments bans throughout Europe, observers believe.