Australia Consideres Legalizing online Poker gambling
The ongoing online poker gambling debate has made it to center stage in the australian media earlier this week.
The Australian Productivity Commission released a report in support of legalization of online poker gambling. Currently, online poker gambling cannot be offered by Australian-based companies, which means all the money spent on online poker in Australia, nearly a quarter of a billion Australian dollars, goes to off shore companies.
A day after the new hit the press, The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, resigned his position and his deputy took over.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the administration will change its stance, and Conroy remains in his position. The date of the next election hasn’t been announced yet, and it could come late this year (most likely) or early next year.
Despite the rejection of the idea by Rudd’s ministers, the Australian Age news site declated that legalization of online poker would probably take place, anyway. “Betting on poker machines or casino games from your lounge room or study could soon be much easier, with the federal government positioning to ease restrictions on ‘’interactive gambling’,” writes Jason Dowling in the article. Dowling goes on to describe the Productivity Commission report’s possible effects without mentioning the government’s dismissal of it. (Dowling’s article was likely written before Conroy’s press release was issued.)
Another angle: “Despite the federal government’s announcement, it is the states and territories who have primary control of gambling law,” as reported by Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service.
Finally, the PokerNews.com article calls the Productivity Commission report timely, “with increasing pressure on Australia’s Federal Police, from prominent parliamentarians, to investigate the legality of various .net advertisements, which have been advertised in recent times.” That may be true, but it also comes at a time of great political upheaval, so it’s far too soon to judge its effects. One thing is certain, though: If the government changes and a new administration takes power, the report’s recommendations will remain the same. And that’s good for prospects of new online poker gambling business in Australia.
Interestingly, the report favors online poker legalization, but restricting video poker machines, which are in heavy use in Australia. An interesting commentary on that aspect can be found here.
