Online poker and live sports betting were officially banned in Australia, after the Parliament of that country approved an amendment to end the legal loopholes that previously allowed citizens to play online.
Origin
The Interactive Australia online gambling laws and regulations 2016 emerged after the Illegal Betting Review in 2015, which recommended the tightening of federal laws around online gambling.
The Interactive Games Act of 2001 had already tried to ban online gambling – including poker, blackjack and roulette – but this draft amendment law was aimed at closing the “gaps” that allowed online gambling They will continue, according to Liberal Democratic Senator.
The original law of 2001 was intended to stop online gambling of many types, but it did not, there was a gap. There is a very active online poker community in Australia.
I don’t think it will succeed for those really determined. If you have a virtual private network or an offshore account, it will still play. It’s a stupid situation.
The online gambling license in Australia also closes the gaps around live sports betting, or betting on the events at stake once they started.
These bets have been cited as a possible size factor in the match, and online bets during a game were banned for some time. However, an escape allowed bets in play to be made over the phone.
Betting process
This is because a conversation with the operator, during which the customer has to provide identification and betting information, slows down the betting process and therefore reduces the scope of the game problems, one of the objectives of the IGA.
However, the big bookmakers and betting agencies used the legal loophole to offer telephone functions (click to call) on their websites and applications, which greatly accelerates the betting process. The last amendment closes that gap, prohibiting these services.
The gambling legislation in Australia said that, far from addressing possible match-fixing, the changes could help them prosper.
The Liberal Democratic Senator also said the ban would push people to use less reliable foreign betting agencies.
It will promote the black market. There are ways to avoid these prohibition approaches. People will play using foreign suppliers by various means. They will be in the hands of sometimes gloomy suppliers, and if they are robbed, they will have no recourse.
The measure could trigger a massive exodus of gambling companies in the country, although a group of companies have already withdrawn.
Online bingo operator was the first to stop operating in Australia last December, while 888 Poker confirmed its exit in January and PokerStars also previously announced its intention to leave the market if the amendments obtained approval.
