Dutch Police Prevent Biker Clashes over Online Poker Game

Dutch Satudarah biker club planned to challenge rivals from Hells Angels allegedly over a game at one of Dutch poker rooms. Law enforcement agents arrested 56 members of the biker club in Amsterdam in an effort to prevent clashes.

Netherlands gambling news quoted the Police statement: “A possible confrontation between Satudarah and members of the Hells Angels had to be taken in account. 56 people were taken into custody “late last night (Saturday) for a public order disturbance. Those arrested all belong to the biker club Satudarah.”

According to rumors bikers wanted to deal with rivals physically after one of their members lost a huge sum of money playing online poker. He discovered that the player who beat him was a member of Hells Angels after he verbally abused the loser in the chat window of the poker site.

It’s quite difficult to play online poker in Netherlands legally, as no Dutch poker sites exist. Players have to rely on foreign based sited for their poker needs. The government is actively battling the sites by blocking their ISPs and forbidding Dutch banks to work with foreign gambling operators.

Dutch gambling laws may soon change as EU is pressuring Holland to further liberalize its online gaming industry and offer proper online gaming facilities. Many European countries have already opened its gaming to foreign operators and Holland may soon follow.

Police actions towards members of Satudarah biker club were justified as tensions between them and Hells Angels have been steadily escalating during recent times. Many still remember a war between Hells Angels and Bandidos club back in 1990s, which claimed eleven lives in Scandinavia.