Greeks game on

According to the Associated Press, a Greek court has said that the 2879165recently publicized law prohibiting electronic gaming in public places is unconstitutional. In the first test of the law, which went into effect in July, the court threw out a case against the first three people to be charged under the law. The decision by the court opens the path to further challenges of legislation that was intended to limit illegal gambling but was worded so broadly as to prohibit all PC and handheld games as well.

The case held two Internet café owners and an employee responsible for letting customers play Counter-Strike and online chess on computers installed in the café. If the case had stood up in court, the three defendants each faced three months in prison and fines of at least $5000.

The antigaming law is having an effect apart from the initial case, even though the legislation may prove to be unconstitutional. The AP report cites that café owners are seeing up to 90 percent fewer customers and that many arcades have closed to avoid potential penalties.