A news release from Finland brought to light that more and more online poker players are running up debts and having to seek counseling.

Helsinki’s Debt Counseling Office, which provides succor to debt ridden poker players, has gone on record stating that the number of players who have already sought help this year is double of last year’s figure.

By the end of the year about 150 online poker players are expected to have got in touch with the Debt Counseling Office. This number obviously does not include hundreds of others who have sought professional help with other organizations.

Marianne Rikama, the head of Helsinki’s Debt Counseling Office, explained the gravity of the situation. In the past years players would approach the office a few times a month at most. But now the office is daily attending to problems of debt ridden poker players. And she adds that the amounts are not small. Male gamblers who are in debt for hundreds of thousands of euros are not uncommon.

It is estimated that about 200,000 people play Internet poker in Finland and the number is expected to increase. And so is the problem of indebtedness. This news will undoubtedly strengthen the hands of those European countries that are contemplating strict laws against online poker. In the Netherlands the Dutch Ministry of Justice has requested banks to stop the transfer of funds to some Internet poker rooms and casinos. The government has targeted a list of fifty online poker rooms. So far this is only a request but and if the banks comply then online poker in Finland will be seriously affected. The Dutch government has put in this request after a bill proposing that the government control online poker rooms was struck down in the Parliament. But if the debt situation gets high publicity then a UIGEA like law could see the light of day in the Netherlands.

The problem of gambling debts is actually quite widespread. Earlier this month the casino Wynn Las Vegas was forced to file a civil complaint in Nevada state court against Charles Barkley, the retired NBA star and now analyst for Turner Network Television. The casino claimed that Barkley owed them $400,000 in debts and loans. Barkley claimed that he had forgotten about the debt and it was never his intention not to repay. Once the complaint was filed Barkley sent the payment to close the case. Last year Pamela Anderson admitted to paying of poker debts with sexual favors in an “Indecent Proposal” like scenario. The beneficiary was Antonio Esfandiari, who then became her current date.

It needs to be pointed out that all online poker rooms actively promote responsible gambling. The poker rooms very clearly inform customers that they should not be gambling with their children’s education funds or to pay off loans. They put limits on wagers and withdrawals to prevent excessive betting. The Responsible Gaming section of the poker room web sites list the symptoms of addiction to gambling and also provides links to organizations that counsel players with gambling problems. But obviously some law makers do not think that this is enough.