Coalition Leader Tony Abbott Opposes Online Casinos

Gambling reform is a hot topic in Australia at the moment with the Labour government set to introduce mandatory pre commitment technology into pokie machines in a scheduled trial in Canberra starting in 2013, with the possibility of legislation being passed making the technology compulsory on all poker machines Australia wide by 2016.

There is also the possibility of live sports betting becoming legal within Australia which is sure to be a boom for the betting industry as a whole. Sports betting is a very popular past time in Australia and the chance to bet on different events happening within any given sport gives very attractive returns for those who are willing to make those wagers. Live sports betting is legal in some parts of the world but not yet legal in Australia.

The possibility of the government allowing live sports betting is sure to provide a good source of tax revenue is it goes ahead. The Interactive Gaming Act report released on Tuesday recommends 30 changes to Australia’s gambling laws including a 5 year trial allowing locally operated online poker rooms which are designed to curb Australian users using overseas sites which are extremely hard to regulate and track if things do go wrong. Trying to claim money from some lesser known casinos can be extremely difficult and often impossible so the report has recommended the trial in an attempt at harm reduction.

But Tony Abbott, leader of the Coalition and opposition party has come out fighting claiming “If it goes ahead, ever computer is a casino, every smart phone is a poker game”. “This is a whole new frontier of gambling which the government is proposing to open up” he goes on to say. So what would be different if these proposed law changes and trials do go ahead?

It is currently perfectly legal for Australian citizens to access and use online casinos and sports books. There is nothing stopping any of us from playing our favourite casinos games including slot machines and poker online at any number of casinos. The recommendations made are about curbing the use of online casinos and online bookmakers and ensuring that we are doing it safely on licensed websites. It is not opening up any more avenues of online gambling but is trying to minimise the harm that is done to those that do decide to do this. Regulation of the industry to ensure the casinos we use are reputable is what is needed, not restricting something that people will just find a way to access regardless of the laws. The damage is done by the casinos that refuse to payout and are hard to contact or track down. If the online betting venues we use are certified then there is sure to be a much better image for the online gambling industry as a whole.

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