Australia to undergo online gambling law overview

[The Buzz]

Things might be changing soon in Australia as it relates to online gambling law. While there are 30 government-sanctioned operators, about 60 percent of the 1.6 billion AUD industry is going to offshore sites.

Full story here: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2...ambling-review

[Renee]

I think it's important to point out that every article I've read about this has indicated they are only referring to sportsbetting and not online casino which is illegal here currently.

[Muppet]

Illegal for operators that respect Australian law that is, not at all for players.

It's as clear as mud.

[Renee]

Illegal for operators that respect Australian law that is, not at all for players.

It's as clear as mud.

Much like our smoking laws.

Illegal to buy cigarettes if you're under 18 or to buy for a person aged under 18, but legal to smoke from 16.
Pollies are idiots.

[Miles_FTA]

Pollies lol Like that term . They talk about the greater good for everyone but ultimately they are only after the greater good for themselves and what gets them more votes.

[JackTenSuited]

Much like our smoking laws.

Illegal to buy cigarettes if you're under 18 or to buy for a person aged under 18, but legal to smoke from 16.
Pollies are idiots.

haha that great, do people accidentally have to drop cigarettes on the street for 16 year olds to find?

[-Shay-]

Miles copied and pasted an entire article that detailed all of this already. The copy/paste article was published in the Guardian.

Gotta love studies like this... Ultimately gearing up to drop the hammer and secure the tax.

Disclaimer - I prefer buzz' method of citing an article as opposed to Miles' cutting and pasting the whole thing.

[Miles_FTA]

Miles copied and pasted an entire article that detailed all of this already. The copy/paste article was published in the Guardian.

Gotta love studies like this... Ultimately gearing up to drop the hammer and secure the tax.

Disclaimer - I prefer buzz' method of citing an article as opposed to Miles' cutting and pasting the whole thing.

@ Shay is there anything of mine you do Like ?

I will refrain from posting Gaming related Information then and leave it to Buzz .. I Juts cant win

[-Shay-]

@ Shay is there anything of mine you do Like ?

I will refrain from posting Gaming related Information then and leave it to Buzz .. I Juts cant win

I think it is wrong to copy and paste entire articles on anything. Buzz posts a snippet and a link - not the entire article.

A lot of what you post, I find funny and/or interesting - but I should have to click the link to read the entire source article rather than read the copied version here.

[Miles_FTA]

@ Shay Thanks I will Take your advice then and Follow The Buzz Approach going forward see I'm a good guy lol

[The Buzz]

More from Australia, including an 8-minute video profiling some problem online gamblers by ABC news.

This tidbit from the story drew Buzzy's eye ...

It is only legal to bet on live events in person or on the phone, but some companies are getting around this rule by instructing clients to simply turn on the microphone on their computer or mobile app.

If regulators want to restrict live betting, then they should do it whole hog. If it's allowed on the phone or in person, it should be allowed online so operators don't have to make people jump through silly hoops.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-1...ctices/6766526

[Muppet]

That makes sense but it's really not the point. The idea wasn't really to allow or encourage in play betting, it was to ban it, then when they couldn't push that through, make it more of a hassle so people are less likely to do it. As usual politicians and vested interests collide and you end up with nonsensical laws like this, and offshore bookies allow people to do it anyway. Licensed bookmakers have been skirting the law by having a "call me now" button on their sites, or like it says in the article using the customer's microphone through their PC. All it shows is the law is badly defined and increasingly irrelevant in the modern world.

I think the more likely outcome is that in play betting will be banned altogether and offshore sites will continue to allow it online so it won't make a bit of difference to anyone who knows what they are doing. There is a strong nanny state culture in Australia and among its politicians, no matter which party you vote for. It is illustrated perfectly by the mother complaining that it was the government's fault for allowing her son to gamble away the proceeds from the sale of his house. Clearly the guy had a problem yet his own family didn't know about it until it was too late and her reaction is "blame the government" instead of, with all due respect, perhaps looking a little closer to home.

Questions should certainly be asked about the role played by Sportsbet in all that as 4 bets totalling $150k would have had him earmarked as a high roller and you would expect some basic background checks to be made. Seeing as the guy lived somewhere where a house costs $150k, which is an astoundingly low price and likely only in a regional area (the average Melbourne house price is around $750k), it would have been strange to see such big bets coming in if anyone there had done any homework. I'm all for stronger regulation and accountability in that regard.

I also noted that there was nothing in the article that linked in play betting to this guy's losses (or the other man in the article), which was quite deceptive as the article was supposedly about the danger of in play betting specifically. Yet it offered no proof or even a statement that either of them wagered in play and why this was any worse than betting pre match. So even if it had been banned he still could have lost all his money by betting before the matches started (which he probably did anyway), and that is never going to be banned. Ultimately there has to be a large slice of personal responsibility for an adult's actions and it is sadly lacking in this case.

[hotfreebingo]

I have to agree that it was very deceptive the way this article never specifically showed how this guy's losses were play betting losses.