Gamblers in Australia, like those in many other countries around the world, have never had it easy. Since 2001, the government has made it illegal for any and all internet casinos, whether based in another country or the state, to provide interactive gambling services to anyone living within the state’s borders.
However, due to Australia’s institutions and authorities’ tolerant attitude toward the illicit gambling market, Australians were free to place as many bets as they pleased on the internet. The restriction appeared to be very restrictive only on paper; in reality, the situation was quite different.
The authorities never fully implemented the ban, and as a result of this, in addition to the inadequacy of the legislation to address the issue of consumers, operators and players had the opportunity to skirt the regulations by acting in a way that circumvented the restrictions. This was made possible by the fact that the legislation did not adequately address the issue of consumers.=
Increased Strictness of the Offshore Betting Ban
Everything would change in March of 2016 when the Senate passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill. After realizing that online gambling is alive and well in the country, the Australian government decided it was time to put an end to the thriving black market. As a result, millions of dollars in revenue are lost to countries other than Australia.
They believed that the most effective way to accomplish this would be to target offshore providers rather than players and to threaten them with exorbitant financial penalties in an effort to dissuade them from participating in the activity. Given that these activities were already prohibited by the prior gaming act, all that needed to be done to better locate these activities was to close a few loopholes in the definitions that were already in place and smooth out any rough spots in the language that described them.
There is no question that the amendment was passed into law with the very best of intentions; no one can fault the government for attempting to protect the most defenseless members of society as well as the economy of the nation. However, due to the nature of the medium, internet gambling is a very distinct sub-genre of the entertainment industry that is difficult to limit or regulate.
This is because of the medium’s inherent characteristics. There is a significant risk that a ban of this kind will have the opposite of the intended effect and push Australia’s large gaming population into the underground economy, which will do more harm than good. This has been forecast by a variety of knowledgeable professionals and insiders in the industry, and it is extremely likely that it will come to pass.
Respected Casinos Driven Out
Although the state maintains that the amendment was designed to prohibit only problematic types of gambling, such as click-to-call sports betting, the 2016 bill was not properly worded, leading everyone to believe that the prohibition was in fact total. This is despite the fact that the state insists that the amendment was intended to prohibit only problematic types of gambling. In spite of the fact that the state continues to insist that the amendment was intended to prohibit only questionable forms of gambling, this is the result.
As a direct result of the government’s decision to outlaw poker games and gambling establishments, a mass exodus of operators began to leave the Australian market. All of the major companies, particularly the ones that have been around for a long time and have earned a good reputation, have come to the conclusion that they will no longer be accepting new Australian players. As soon as the change was made public, those individuals who were concerned about their public image and reputation, as well as those individuals who did not want to face the potential legal challenges and penalties associated with operating a business in the prohibited territory, withdrew their participation.
What was found matched up perfectly with what a number of people had anticipated would be there. Unreliable organizations and groups do not care about adhering to the regulations that are currently in place because the majority of them already conduct their business without a license.
Players in Australia were able to enjoy their favorite pastime without ever having to worry about having to pay to do so, which helped the nation earn a reputation as having one of the largest gaming communities in the world. This unanticipated shift has caused a great number of people to feel both angry and perplexed. There is nowhere to go, even for those who are willing to disregard the rules because reputable businesses have almost completely disappeared.
Poker players are requesting that the rules of the game be altered
Poker players have been particularly vocal about their dissatisfaction with the change, which they view as an injustice. They contend that it is not gambling because it is a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Fans of poker, many of whom play the game professionally and rely on winnings to support themselves and their families, are even more enraged by the fact that they are only permitted to participate in live tournaments at land-based venues rather than online tournaments. This leaves them with no other option but to vent their anger through anger online.
Poker Stars, Vera and John, and any other sibling brands that were affiliated with the MonteCarlo Affiliates program were among the first to pull out of the competition. Casinos such as Mr. Green and 32 Red are examples of some of the most recognizable names in this sector of the gaming industry.
There is currently no indication that the administration is willing to revisit the recently enacted legal guidelines; however, this could change in the future. Even though both the short-term and long-term prospects are extremely bleak, the opposition is still pushing for a re-evaluation of the impact that the amendment will have on poker’s legal standing as well as the amendment as a whole. This is the case despite the fact that both the short-term and long-term prospects are extremely bleak.