In a surprise move, the European Union’s Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the Netherlands could block Ladbrokes and Betfair, the popular bookmaker and betting exchange, from offering bets to Dutch gamblers if the reason for the ban was to protect against “fraud and crime.”

All members of the European Union have a free trade agreement that prohibits banning foreign goods from another EU nation in favor of domestic competition. For that reason, in 2008 the Dutch Supreme Court asked the ECJ to rule on whether their position of banning those sites was compatible with EU law.

Representatives from Ladbrokes and Betfair were predictable disappointed. They say that while the Netherlands claim to be concerned with gambling addiction and corruption, their real reason for the ban is to preserve the state-run monopoly on the gambling market in the form of De Lotto.

A spokesman from Ladbrokes said that the stance of the Netherlands was “hard to reconcile with its expansive gambling policy, which is characterized by the introduction and active advertising, marketing and promotion of new gaming products.”

It seems that the Netherlands thinks that gambling is dangerous unless it’s under the control of their government. That’s a common theme among the more authoritative governments and as a monarchy, the Netherlands certainly belongs to that group. I guess Queen Beatrix doesn’t trust the people to make their own decisions about what kinds of bets to make and what people to do business with. Therefore, she will make the decision for you. How kind and protective of her.

In response to the ECJ ruling, Betfair’s European public affairs chief, Tim Phillips, said that the judgment “once again demonstrates the need for the European Commission to take a lead on this issue, so that we can…settle the online gambling debate once and for all.” He and others calls for the EC to pass online gambling legislation at the EU level that would strictly and clearly state the rules each member nation must follow regarding online gambling.

Lady Gaga has had quite a year in the world of gambling industry whether she knows it or not.  From her smash hit PokerFace drawing much attention to the game to the endless betting on her boy/girl parts, the news just keeps on coming.  And even though the song’s popularity has faded, yet another poker event has extended an open invitation to platinum selling recording artist Lady Gaga.  Ladbrokes is holding the Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festival next week in Kilarney and has asked the singer of the chart-topping hit PokerFace to make an appearance.

The Irish Poker Festival takes place during a break in Lady Gaga’s tour.  Gaga is currently touring the world with rapper/narcissist/crazy man Kanye West, but will have a break in her tour when the festival commences.  The invitation has been extended for Lady Gaga to perform for the festival’s main event which begins on October 2.

“It would be great if she could come and we’ll even make room for Kanye,” said Kate McLennan, head of poker at Ladbrokes,  “The question everyone wants to know is if Lady Gaga can make sweet music on the green baize.”

While Lady Gaga has yet to respond, the festival can confirm that Irish boyband star Shane Lynch of Boyzone is set to perform.  So if Lady Gaga can’t make it, they still have some entertainment which is good.

I still wonder if Lady Gaga has any real interest in poker at all.  I also wonder if the people who keep inviting her to poker tournaments realize that Lady Gaga is, in fact, NOT singing about “poker” in PokerFace.  Instead, the song refers to sexual attraction while dancing with a gentleman in a club and uses the term “poker face” as a poignant metaphor to describe the ambiguity of her intentions.

*No offense to Ladbrokes, but The Asian Poker Tour had the best Lady Gaga invitation of the year.

Something is profitable in the state of Denmark. So says online gaming company Ladbrokes. The British company will apply for an online operating license in Denmark. The Danish government plans to make an unlimited number of online gambling licenses available for sports betting, casinos, and poker games.

Denmark has high licensing costs that may deter smaller online casinos, who think that the costs of doing business with the Danish would not allow a profit. So is Ladbrokes foolish for pursuing a deal with the Danes? Give thy thoughts no tongue. A Ladbrokes representative stated that the “restrictions and conditions do not look more frightening than in Italy and Spain, which are other territories we have gone into.”

Ladbrokes is eager to join the Danish culture, best known for their blonde hair, funny accents, and almost total lack of laws. Denmark also has tight restrictions and laws on gambling designed to give the government a stranglehold on the industry. Some companies have shied away from the controlling government, but Ladbrokes is still willing to do business with them. Every man has business and desire, Such as it is.

The government currently only allows state-run companies to offer bingo, lottery and scratch cards, a law that Ladbrokes may challenge. The Danish have always held that monopoly, but Ladbrokes is confident they can have the law overturned. All that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity.

Though most of Ladbrokes customers are from the UK, they also have a large Nordic base. Forced to leave the UK due to excessive taxes, the company is eager to attract more Scandinavians. A licensing contract with the Danish government would mean more online gamblers playing. And when it comes to online casinos, the play’s the thing.