Repeal Aussie's Ban
The international cry for a repeal of legislation that bans the online casino
gambling industry can now be heard loud and clear from Australia. The United
States has been a key focus in the banning legislation debate, but a new report
from the Australian Productivity Commission indicates that some Aussie companies
are now supporting moves to repeal the controversial Interactive Gambling Act
and instead pass new legislation that fully legislates, licenses and regulates
an Australian gambling industry. Foreign online casinos are surely supporting
this new move as they have long been filing lawsuits against the state and
national governments for fair access to Aussie gamblers.
The Commission’s report includes the arguments of more 263 other online casino
gambling and betting companies that objected to the current Aussie restrictions.
Additionally, the Commission investigated the feasibility of effectively
regulating online casinos, and the example set by the UK and several other
European nations is key to proving that a regulated market can still retain
safeguards to protect gamblers from underage and addictive gambling.
PokerNews has responded positively to the Commission’s recommendation for a
regulated online casino gambling industry. On an unfortunate note, although the
Commission has submitted the draft proposal for changes to the current ban, the
government is under no obligation to heed the recommendation of the Commission,
and there is no indication whether it will or will not for the current issue at
hand. The Australian government will now take the time to carefully consider the
Australian Productivity Commission’s report and all of the arguments placed by
online gambling companies before even thinking about acting on the current
internet gambling ban. |