While it probably wasn't the European Union's intent to serve as defenders of online gambling, the international organization's stated free- and open-trade purposes have turned out to have exactly that effect. EU member nations across the continent are finding to their dismay that free trade really means free trade, and the fact that the impacted party is often the government itself doesn't change the basic issue. Not long after a landmark decision was handed down against Italy by the European Court in a similar case, Greece has now been placed squarely in the EU's crosshairs. This time, a British-licensed online gambling firm, William Hill, forced the matter. William Hill applied for a license

last week in Greece to open betting shops in that country, which would place it in direct competition with OPAP, the gambling concern granted monopoly status by the Greek government. William Hill made its application knowing full well that Greece was likely to deny it; William Hill's chief executive, David Harding, was quoted in several reports as saying he believed that Greece was in violation of European law, and that if the application was rejected, William Hill planned on pursuing the matter through the European Court. Not only did initial Greek media reports indicate that William Hill's application was likely to be rejected, the Greek government upped the stakes by arresting nine people in western Greece for unauthorized gambling. Three of the nine operated Internet cafes while the other six were customers, and all nine were cited for using an unnamed British bookmaking service (perhaps but not necessarily William Hill) instead of OPAP for their gambling service. This follows the arrest of an Athens man last month on similar charges. OPAP's president, Sotiris Kostakos, was reported as saying, "The only company with the right to operate betting in Greece is OPAP." Kostakos also suggested that the EU refer such complaints to the courts of the member countries, which is exactly what these countries seeking to protect their monopolistic revenue streams want to see happen. However, the EU has shown an interest in online gambling and ruled it to be a class of trade that should be available on an equal basis throughout all member countries. The European Union's impact on international trade agreements remains the brightest hope for all forms of online gambling, including poker.

Saturday marks the beginning of the fifth WPT Championship, the finish of the Bellagio's Five Star World Poker Classic in Las Vegas and the end of the fifth season of the World Poker Tour. With its pristine location at the Bellagio, the cream of the poker world in attendance and the opportunity to get in a good groove for the upcoming World Series, the WPT Championship has grown into one of poker's top two or three events (the WSOP Main Event, and the emerging EPT Championship come to mind). A simple look at the history of the event and the players involved shows how important the WPT Championship has become. From its inception in 2003 and its 111 player field, the WPT Championship has

blossomed into a 605 runner mammoth that had a $14 million prize pool in 2006. This year's event may have a slightly higher number of players, but the quality of the 2007 final table will probably be the same as in year's past. There have been legends (Doyle Brunson, David Sklansky, Men "The Master" Nguyen), current greats of the game (Phil Ivey - twice at the final table, Ted Forrest, Roland De Wolfe) and surprising newcomers who made their mark on the game (John Phan, 2005 champion Tuan Le and defending champion Joe Bartholdi) at the final table in the past five years. Predicting who will be at this year's final table is about as difficult a task as there is, but if you look at performance up to the event, you can get a possible idea of what will happen. With that said, here are five players that seem to be peaking at the right time. 1) J. C. Tran - With a victory at the WPT's World Poker Challenge in Reno back in March, J. C. is in on a freeroll for the WPT Championship. Tran has also been on fire lately, with three WPT final tables and a victory in one of the preliminary events during the Five Star. Look for him to continue his strong play and be one of the players at the final table. If he has a big stack, he could even take the title down. 2) James Van Alstyne - Van Alstyne will have to buy his way into the WPT Championship, but he certainly won't mind that. So far in 2007 he has garnered over $500K in earnings, made four final tables and cashed in nine tournaments. He has a history of strong tournament performances and should be in the running when it comes to the final table of the WPT Championship. 3) Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi - While not off to the same stratospheric start as he had in both 2005 and 2006, "The Grinder" has been quietly amassing excellent tournament finishes through the early part of 2007. Last year, the crush may have gotten to him after finishing as a runner up in one WPT event and winning one. This year, the hubbub around him is a bit calmer, which should allow him to concentrate exclusively on playing the tournament. 4) Patrik Antonius - Patrik consistently performs well at the tournaments that are held at the Bellagio. He cashed in last year's WPT Championship and was runner up in the December 2005 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic there. He definitely has the skills to be a contender for the crown and could make his first major title with the WPT Championship. Other foreign contenders could be Roland De Wolfe, Gus Hansen or Andrew Black (who has been having a great 2007 and would be good to see in the WPT Championship). 5) Kathy Liebert - While some may have thought she wasn't doing anything, Liebert's game seems to be coming around just in time for the WPT Championship. Runner up finishes at final tables in Foxwoods (during the run of WPT preliminary events for Foxwoods Poker Classic) and the Five Star indicate she is getting in shape to be a force at the tables. Other female players who have to be looked at as well include Joanne "J. J." Liu (freerolling off her Ladies' Night win) and potentially Jennifer Harman or last year's breakout star, Vanessa Rousso, who just missed last year's final table, finishing seventh. Now, the game begins. From Saturday to the final table on April 27th, the WPT Championship will once again deliver the finest in poker battling it out for the coveted WPT Championship title and the millions that come with it. PokerNews.com will be there covering all the action live in our 'live reporting' section. Come the end, we will learn whether it is a professional or a "newcomer" who will take one of the grandest titles in the poker world.

Loffreda has been in charge of the Pumas for seven yearsArgentina coach Marcelo Loffreda has signed a contract to become Leicester's new coach from next season, BBC Radio Leicester understands.
Loffreda is expected to take charge of the Premiership club after the World Cup, with assistant coach Richard Cockerill taking charge until then.
Current coach Pat Howard is returning to Australia at the end of the season.
Loffreda, 47, is a former Argentine centre who has been in charge of the Pumas for the last seven years.
Under his guidance, they have beaten many of the top Test-playing nations, including their historic win over England at Twickenham last year.

Moores led Sussex to Championship glory in 2003England have named Peter Moores as the permanent successor to departing head coach Duncan Fletcher. Moores, currently the National Cricket Academy director, will start on 1 May. The appointment comes less than a day after Fletcher decided to step down after eight years in the role following England's exit from the World Cup. "Peter has been identified for some time as a leading candidate as a future England head coach," said ECB chief executive David Collier.
The 44-year-old coached Sussex to their first County Championship title in 2003 and took charge of the National Academy in 2005. He has coached England A and worked with most of the current England team but has neither played nor managed a team at the highest level. It was thought his main rivals for the job were Sri Lanka's Tom Moody, Bangladesh's Dav Whatmore and New Zealand's John Bracewell - who all have experience at the top level. But Moores said: "It is an honour to have been appointed as head coach and to succeed Duncan, who has been an outstanding coach of the England team. An emotional Fletcher informed the England players on Thursday"I have enjoyed my two years at the National Academy and my role with the England teams. "The challenge of this new role excites me and I look forward to meeting up with the players on their return to the United Kingdom and to leading England to success in both Test and one-day cricket." Collier added: "The ECB has developed a contingency and succession plan for all key management positions and this is part of that. "Peter is highly respected as an innovative and inspiring coach and is an ideal person to accept this appointment. "In addition to the preparation of the Test team for the npower Test series versus the West Indies in four weeks' time, Peter will also commence the important work of preparing a new strategy for one-day cricket." The appointment was backed by England captain Michael Vaughan, who said: "He's obviously got a great record at Sussex and he's done really well at the Academy. He's got a great enthusiasm for the game, he's forward-thinking and I really do think it's a great appointment for the English game. "He's got a great opportunity. The England team and the English game has got a lot of talent and we have to find the character and attitude to match that - but we have got a lot of talent to work with." One player who could benefit from Moores's elevation is Sussex's wicket-keeper/batsman Matt Prior, who dismissed fears about his former coach's lack of international experience. "His personality, enthusiasm for the game, and his ability to motivate individuals make him stand out," he told BBC Five Live. "As for experience - look at what John Buchanan has achieved with Australia. "It would be very easy to pin that on him but people should look at the positives he could bring to the England team." In a vote on the BBC Sport website, a clear majority 68% of nearly 8,000 respondents said Moores was the right man to take over as England head coach, with 32% disagreeing.

Montgomerie, whose ranking has slid to 31, has made a solid startSECOND ROUND LEADERBOARD(GB&Ire unless stated)-9 R Jacquelin (Fra)-6 S Lee (Kor)-5 S Kjeldsen (Den), M Jimenez (Spa), J Backstrom (Swe), S Hend (Aus), C MontgomerieSelected others:-4 S Dyson-3 K Sullivan-2 E Els (SA), D Griffiths, S Wakefield-1 P Casey+1 R Goosen (SA)
Colin Montgomerie's hopes of a first European Tour win since December 2005 remained on track at the Asian Open on Friday thanks to a second-round 70.
The Scot mixed two birdies with two bogeys on the front nine and then eagled 15 to improve to five under.
He is now in a five-way tie for third, one adrift of Korean Sung-man Lee and four behind leader Raphael Jacquelin.
But the day's big mover was Welshman Kyron Sullivan, who fired a six-under 66 to reach three under for the event.
It could have been even better for the 30-year-old European Tour rookie, who opened with a 75 on Thursday, as he double-bogeyed the last when an unlikely eagle would have seen him equal Ernie Els' course record of 62.
I just needed a couple more putts to go in and it would have been a really good day
Paul Casey"On the last I got a flyer with an eight iron, duffed my chip and three-putted. It was a shame," said Sullivan.
Montgomerie - who shares third with Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen, Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez, Joakim Backstrom of Sweden and Australian Scott Hend - was happy with his position after 36 holes at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.
"It's all to play for at the weekend," the eight-time European Order of Merit winner said.
"The eagle on the 15th helped. I'm in touch and moved up from sixth to third, so that's good."
On shot behind Montgomerie is England's Simon Dyson, who carded a second straight 70. The 29-year-old Yorkshireman has a great record at the course - second, fifth and 14th in the last three years - and is well placed for the weekend.

Sullivan posted an eagle, six birdies and that final double-bogeyPaul Casey, another 29-year-old Englishman, improved his first-round showing of 72 by one shot to move to one under par but was still frustrated by his display.
"I just needed a couple more putts to go in and it would have been a really good day, simple as that," the world number 12 said.
"I gave myself a lot of chances, but it's a difficult golf course and I'm going to try and take the positives out of it."
Els, who won this event the year he set the course record in 2005, also encountered problems on the greens. The South African, who finished at two under, said: "I'm just not making any putts out there.
"My pace on the greens has been out for some reason. It's a little frustrating. I'm playing okay, just not scoring."
David Griffiths is level with Els after the 26-year-old bagged five birdies in a round of 69, with Simon Wakefield, another young English talent, on the same total after a second-round 70 to go with his opening 72.
World number eight Retief Goosen made the cut by a shot after finishing one over par, but John Daly will not feature at the weekend.
The American carded 76 to go with his first-round score of 79 to finish 11 over par.
"I had nowhere to hit the golf ball," Daly said.
"The fairways were too narrow for me. Anything over 260 yards, you don't have a chance."

PAUL Felgate’s champion stayer Miss Brook signalled her return to her scintillating best at Sandown Park on Thursday night.The Ballistic Jet-Brandon Sky bitch devastated her rivals in the fastest heat of the Group 3 Lizrene Classic (715m).And she has come up with the coveted rails draw in next week’s final and is already odds-on favourite for the rich final.The reigning Queensland Greyhound of the Year began only fairly from box seven before weaving her way through the field to be third entering the straight the first time around. From there Miss Brook was never in danger, sweeping past early leader Glenavon Heather and extending her lead to seven and a half lengths at the line, with favourite Bomber Que two and a quarter lengths adrift. Her time of 42.15 was the fastest run over the Sandown Park 715m this year.The run was Miss Brook’s fourth since returning from a broken metacarpal in October. Before breaking down, she won the Group 2 Sir John Dillon Memorial at Sandown in 42.35, her run on Thursday night a clear sign she has returned to her best. In an ominous sign for her rivals, trainer Paul Felgate believes Miss Brook will be improved following the run.The Lizrene Classic was first run as a bitches only sprint in 1992. In 2002, the race became an open 715m race and was elevated to Group status. It was moved from December to April the following year, and has since served as the lead up race to Australia’s premier distance event, the $86,000 Group 1 Sandown Cup.

Kerrin McEvoy partnered Adagio to the Craven Stakes winAdagio laid down a significant marker for the 2,000 Guineas when he was an impressive winner of the Craven Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt, the 5-4 favourite, eased down to win by one-and-a-half lengths from Sonny Red.
Thousand Words stayed on to finish third but the victory for jockey Kerrin McEvoy was never in doubt despite struggling for room two furlongs out.
Adagio is now rated a 6-1 shot from 12s by VC Bet for the 2,000 Guineas.
Adagio, who is owned by the Coolmore team, won on his debut at Newmarket last September before finishing a creditable four-and-a-half-length seventh behind Teofilo in the Dewhurst on his final start.

More than 200 unexploded bombs are still buried in east LondonUnexploded World War II bombs may be buried under the east London 2012 Olympic Games site, BBC London has learned.
More than 200 of the 1,500 bombs dropped in east London failed to detonate, said a report for the London Development Agency (LDA).
It classed some of the 500-acre site as "high risk" and experts have begun scanning the area for ordnance.
The cost of the work has been factored into the site clean-up, said the LDA.
Luftwaffe
At the peak of the Blitz thousands of bombs were dropped on London by the German Luftwaffe and some failed to explode.
The only way you're going to get this dealt with is with a real pressure point like the Olympics
Ken Livingstone
A civil defence map used in the report, by independent site investigation firm Zetica, shows where bombs fell over east London.
Of 1,493 high explosive bombs identified, 207 remain unexploded, according to the report.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the Olympic site was one of the most polluted places in southern England.
"Of course there's a risk of bombs," he said. "We did get a lot of dropped on us during the war and we haven't found them all yet.
"The only way you're going to get this dealt with is with a real pressure point like the Olympics."
Report author Mike Sainsbury, of Zetica, said the area was targeted by the Germans as it was close to east London docks.
He said: "I believe it was Hitler's own personal goal to strangle London by targeting docks."
Steve Davis, of the LDA, said nothing was being left to chance.
"We will be able to detect ordnance if it's there in the areas we're going to probe," he said.

Mourinho is eyeing up four trophies this season
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has revealed the club have no plans to sack boss Jose Mourinho in the summer.
Speculation over the Portuguese coach's future at Stamford Bridge - and his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich - has been rife all season.

But Kenyon has denied the club have been looking at potential replacements.

"Jose's got a contract until 2010 and we're not going to sack him. He's got the full support of the board, that's really important," he told Chelsea TV.


Interview: Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon

"We've been linked with something like 14 managers now I think, but we've not got a list and we're not looking."

Mourinho has masterminded back-to-back Premiership titles since arriving at the club from Porto in 2004.

He has also won the League Cup twice, including this season, and is still fighting for silverware on three fronts this term.

However, Mourinho has grown frustrated at the lack of transfer funds made available to him this season, particularly in the January transfer window when he was desperate to bring in defensive reinforcements.

And the big-money summer arrival Andriy Shevchenko, thought to be a close friend of Abramovich, is also believed to be a bone of contention between owner and coach.

But the pair shared an embrace after the tense FA Cup semi-final victory over Blackburn, in a move interpreted by some as a sign of a thawing in relations between the two.