Greeks were forbidden to play computer games

The Greece government has adopted a law prohibiting playing electronic games in public places. The law, according to the plan of the Government, was supposed to put an end to the serious turnover of the "illness" of modern Greeks - gambling on the Internet and on slot machines. However, the lawmakers clearly overdid it - the ban was introduced on the public use of all "electrical, electromechanical and electronic games."

The entry into force of the law caused a storm of protests by the owners of the Internet cafe and the "gamers" in Greece, CNews reports. In the global network, petitions were posted, which argued that computer games are a means for entertainment, which no one can ban in a democratic country. Fans of computer games urge to sign an appeal to parliament and demonstrate their dissatisfaction with this.

The law was prepared by the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Greece, when its officials realized that "it was not able to determine the difference between harmless video games and illegal gaming machines." According to the Law ╧ 3037, adopted by the Greece Government on July 30 of this year, games are considered electric, which depend on electrical mechanisms, electromechanical - those that depend on the electrical mechanisms and muscular strength of a person, and electronic ones - those that work on electronic mechanisms and on software.

The law is forbidden to establish and play similar games in public places - hotels, cafes, in the halls of institutions, or anywhere else, even in private possessions. It is allowed to play "mechanical games", where only a muscular force is needed, and in "entertaining technical games", which serve only for entertainment, and the result in which depends solely on the abilities and skills of the player. “Entertaining technical” are considered some types of card games, approved by a separate law, if bets are not made during the game. Next follows a small reservation: you can play "entertaining games" only on mechanical devices where only muscle strength is needed!

Based on this, you can use computers in an Internet cafe, but just do not play them. Not only in gambling, but in general - in any. All owners of the Internet cafe must, within 3 months from the date of entry into force of the law, receive a special permit for their activities from municipal or state bodies.

Anyone who owns or is somehow connected with institutions where prohibited games are held or simply established, faces imprisonment from 3 months and a fine of 5 thousand euros. If the disobedient comes across a second time, he shines at least a year of prison and a fine of 25-75 thousand euros, as well as confiscation of all prohibited games and devices. In addition, a fine of 10 thousand euros will be charged for the discovery of each prohibited game and a license to be selected. Thus, even a game of chess on his own laptop somewhere in the lobby of the hotel can formally cost the violator of the new law in 10 thousand euros of a fine or imprisonment from three months. This also applies to games on mobile phones and mobile game consoles.

As stated in the statement of the Greek Union of Internet cafes (Greek Internet Cafe Union), theoretically, the police have the right to arrest a person playing computer games on their home PC, or if at work an employee is "caught", for example, for a online game of chess. As Greek officials stated, although the law prohibits playing at home on computers and consoles, only “gamers” playing in public places will be persecuted on it.

There are already victims of the entry into force of the new law: as the Katimerini Greek newspaper said, on August 29 in Thessaloniki, 2 owners of Internet cafes were arrested, who violated the new law. They allowed their customers to play the popular online game Counter-Strike. On August 30, other owners of Internet cafes in the city of Thessaloniki filed an official complaint about the Civil Support Center (Citizens Support Center), located in the northern part of the city, where the devices prohibited by law are allegedly established, allowing to play "on the grid". According to the owners of the Internet cafe who filed a complaint, their goal was not to violate the work of the public service, but to show how meaningless the new law is. According to the plaintiffs, they will present new “surprises” to the authorities until this law is canceled.