It has been yet another interesting week in Europe.Russia has decided to 'attack' Bitcoin, while the Czech Republic discussed the possibility of taxing illegal operators.Finally, 888poker launched a new promo that hints at an application to join Portugal’s legalized online poker market.Russia’s infamous Internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, the country’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media is back in action with some new, controversial measures.Almost one year after it decided to include sites such as PokerStars, partypoker, Unibet and Titanpoker in the very same blacklist that censors websites promoting child pornography and illegal drugs, the Roskomnadzor decided to launch an attack against Bitcoin websites.Citing a court order issued on Sept. community site and the Bitcoin.it wiki.News broke after Russia’s Tjournal explained that the ban was confirmed by the press office of Roskomnadzor spokesperson Vadim Ampelonsky, who stated the measure was a result of last year’s Court ruling.

Speaking to Coindesk, the Crypto Currencies Foundation of Russia (CCFR) chairman Igor Chepkasov explained that he believes “given the remoteness of the region and the features of the ruling's execution, a court decision issued on September 30th and in the register of blocked sites as of 13th January, we can safely say that this is a dress rehearsal for the prohibition of bitcoin in Russia.” However, Russia’s authorities believe that the measure complies with what set by Russia’s regulation on currencies, as Article No.bitcoin mining hdd27 of Russia’s Federal Law explicitly states that: "In accordance with [the] Art.bitcoin medici27 of the Federal Law “On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation,“ the official monetary unit (currency) of the Russian Federation is the ruble.bitcoins kostenlos verdienen

Introduction in Russia of other monetary units and production of money substitutes is prohibited.In such circumstances Cryptocurrencies, including "Bitcoin" are money substitutes, contribute to the growth of the shadow economy and can not be used by citizens and legal persons on the territory of the Russian Federation."ethereum bloombergWhile most other European regulated markets try to tackle the issue of unlicensed operators by implementing different kinds of bans and by limiting peoples' access to such sites, the Czech Republic has decided to opt for a much more innovative approach.bitcoin - the story of genesisCzech authorities would very much like everyone to join the country’s legalized market, but they seem to believe that illegal operators may also be tolerated as long as they pay taxes on their (illegal) profits.eigene bitcoin wahrung

It's a controversial approach, but Czech news agency Hospodářské Noviny reports that the national Ministry of Finance Andrej Babis plans to force illegal operators to pay taxes on the profits they generate from Czech players.irs bitcoin policyHospodářské Noviny writes that the tax could oblige international operators to pay around 20-30 percent of their Czech-related profits in taxes.coin hunter bitcoinThis pushed Betfair’s general counsel Martin Lyčka to clarify that: "If next year the Ministry chooses a new strategy, it is likely that the big players including Betfair [could] leave the Czech [market] and stop accepting bets.” Although it is impossible to say if the Finance Ministry’s dream to tax illegal profits will ever come true, what is clear is that the Czech government is determined to get as much money as possible out of gambling.bitcoin gratis yang banyak

As anticipated by Reuters, and published here on PokerNews on Dec.17, 2014, the very same Ministry of Finance plans to raise taxes on gambling to help the country gain extra revenue of six billion Czech Crowns, approximately €270 million.Talking at a conference held in Prague on Oct.9, 2014, Babi discussed his plans for a reform of the rules that regulate the national gambling industry and explained, "The current legislation does not conform with those in developed European countries, gambling is out of control and the state loses billions every year."As PokerFuse cleverly spotted on Thursday, 888poker may have just revealed their plan to join Portugal’s legalized market - whenever it may finally be launched.A new country-specific promotion named 888 iPad Giveaway promises to reward Portuguese grinders with twelve iPad Air 2 a month in special freerolls that will run from February 2015 to January 2016.During the past years, Portugal has repeatedly been on the verge of legalizing online poker, though it has yet to happen.

That said, pretty much everyone in the industry believes 2015 is going to be the year it happens.Portugal’s proposed regulation has recently been approved by the European Commission which deemed it to be compliant with all the EU regulations, and - according to the Portuguese legislative framework - there's a good chance that the first batch of licenses will be issued by the country’s regulator within the next 180 days.Should things stay as they are, however, gambling operators may not flock to Portugal as the country is expected to ask them to pay up to 30 percent of their Gross Gaming Revenues (GGR) to the State.A percentage that many believe will keep a large number of small to medium operators away from Lisbon unless the country finds a way to join forces with Spain to launch a proper European transnational poker market.Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets.Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook now!LONDON A London-based start-up said on Wednesday it would launch the first fund to track an index of digital currencies such as bitcoin in the coming weeks.DLT Financial said it hopes the tracker fund will make such currencies a more attractive investment asset class.

The new company was spun out of fintech start-up Tramonex, which earlier this year received a 250,000 pound ($333,000) grant from the government to develop a new prototype for currency settlements using the technology that underpins bitcoin.The index comprises 10 cryptocurrencies - so-called because they use cryptographic signatures to keep the transactions secure.As well as the original cryptocurrency bitcoin, the index includes ether, the digital currency that powers blockchain platform Ethereum, and Ripple, a digital currency designed for bank-to-bank payments.For a graphic on how bitcoin works, click: tmsnrt.rs/1W1E8mwCryptocurrencies are used to send money around the world instantly and at low cost, with no need for third-party checks.They are also bought as an investment that has almost no correlation with other currencies and asset classes, though their volatility - and complexity - puts many off."We're really looking to bridge the gap between the existing blockchain world of tech and the more traditional institutional investment community," said Dave Askey, co-founder of DLT Financial and the chief technology officer of Tramonex."Currently