The law, which goes by the name of Law Number 3037 in Greece, went into effect at the end of July and was passed in an attempt to stop online gambling. It applies to arcade games, PC games, console games, handheld games, and even cell phones with embedded games. The law applies everywhere, not just in public places. In fact, the law is so unusual and far reaching that many have cried "Internet hoax" when reading about it.
Anyone convicted of violating the new law can be fined 5,000 - 75,000 euros and imprisoned for up to 12 months. Already two Internet cafe owners have been arrested and face trial on September 10, and the trials are being viewed as an important test of the law's validity. Meanwhile, many arcades have reportedly been shut down by authorities.
It's not clear how or why the Greek parliament went so far beyond the original intended goal, but the law has mobilized the country's gamers to fight it. More information can be found at
http://www.gameland.gr.
