Looks like "Colonels"are back in Greece

[gatt]

The Greek government has banned all electronic games across the country, including those that run on home computers, on Game Boy-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 attaché 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, http://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."

Source : CNET

[SC-Sp00k]

Well we can safely keep any Greek airplanes out of AH

(Did they even have an airplane?)

[gofaster]

If you want to stop illegal gambling, then enforce the gambling laws.

Now down to business.  Five hundred quatloos says I can capture a town with an LVT on my first run.  Any takers?

[Curval]

Well that makes two things you should never do in Greece.

The other, of course, is bending over in front of a Greek man.

[Hussein]

If anyone of you would know greek people, you'd know nobody will follow this law. Those people don't give a toejam about laws, they just have fun.

Greek people know how to enjoy life and life as they want, something many other nations lack completely.

[Rasker]

Originally posted by Hussein
If anyone of you would know greek people, you'd know nobody will follow this law. Those people don't give a toejam about laws, they just have fun.

Greek people know how to enjoy life and life as they want, something many other nations lack completely.

yes, they invented anarchy, as well as democracy and tyranny

[SC-Sp00k]

Reg: Yeah, all right, Stan. Don't label the point. And what have they ever given us in return?
Rebel2  The aquaduct?
Reg    What?
Rebel2  The aquaduct.
Reg     Oh yeah, yeah. They did give us that. That's true, yeah.
Rebel3  And sanitation.
Loretta Oh yeah, the sanitation, Reg. Remember what the city used to be like.
Reg     Yeah, all right, I'll grant you the aquaduct , the santation are two things the Greeks have done...
Mathias And the roads.
Reg    Well, yeah. Obviously the roads, I mean the roads go without saying, don't they? But apart from the sanitation, the aquaduct, and the roads...
Rebel4  Irrigation.
Rebel2  Medicine.
Rebel5  Education.
Reg     Yeah, yeah, all right. Fair enough...
Rebel1  And the wine.
Rebels  Oh, yeah
Francis Yeah. Yeah, That's something that we'd really miss, Reg,  if the Greeks left, huh.
Rebel6  Public baths.
Loretta And it's safe to walk the in streets at night now Reg.
Francis Yeah, they certainly know how to keep order. Let's face it, the only ones who could in a place like this.
PFJ     Huhuhuh. Huhuhuhuhuh.
Reg     All right. But apart from the sanitation, the medecine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health... What have the Greeks ever done for us?
Rebel2  Brought peace?
Reg    Oh, peace. Shaddup.