March 28th: Australia's New Court Ruling Shakes Up Gambling Scene

I came across A very interesting news piece last week, and decided to write about it since it pertained to the Internet and the way we communicate. On March 21st, Australian parliament banned online poker and live sports betting. There have been numerous attempts to tighten up gambling laws in Australia, even as far back as 2001, where the government attempted to get rid of the industry altogether in their country. The official name of the amendment is the Interactive Gaming Amendment Bill 2016, and prevents players from any form of online wagering.

There is a reportedly hyperactive online poker community in Australia, and these betting sites also usually offer betting services. The controversy behind this law was that if it passed, there would be an outraged group of Australians who are now no longer allowed to place bets online. The intention of the new amendment is to diminish problem gambling, but Australian Liberal Senator David Leyonhjelm thinks the new ruling is, “stupid.” He says there are many other ways people can play poker, through casinos and tournaments, and banning a legal option will draw people to black market wagering. Now that this law has passed, there is a strong chance that people will look to offshore betting sites and black market companies, which is very counterintuitive in my opinion. Leyonhjelm also states that, “The whole world is online now.”

I found this decision by Australia to be particularly compelling. While most western countries are starting to adapt to the collective benefits that gambling can bring, Australia’s new law puts them at the complete opposite of the spectrum. The United States lies somewhere in the middle, although it looks as though they are leaning towards legalizing sports betting. If I was a decision maker within the U.S. Government, I would watch Australia closely. The ramifications of Australia’s anti- online gambling amendment should be closely monitored by other nations as they decide what is best for their country, But one thing remains certain: there is potential for copious amount of revenue to be made is the U.S. government legalized and closely monitored the gambling industry. Since the Web is available across the globe, and makes each individual more connected than ever before, it is counter-intuitive to take away online services that are available in a different fashion, such as a casino. In my opinion, these governing bodies should take into account that taking away online poker and betting services will drive the most dedicated to search for unethical ways to place wagers. Although Australia is much smaller than America in terms of population, they still have plenty of people they need to satisfy, and I think that prohibiting online poker and betting will help some with gambling problems, but cause issues for a much larger group of people. It will be interesting to see how the United States deals with the inevitable determination that alters how Americans can wager over the Web.

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