The Australian federal government announced this week that it is
planning a permanent ban on Australian gambling service providers
providing internet or mobile phone gambling and wagering services
to those in Australia.
The government’s Communications Minister Richard Alston
said:
“The prohibition will apply to all gaming
and wagering services, including poker machines, casino games,
sports betting and lotteries, that are offered on a commercial
basis over the internet or through on-line delivery systems such as
interactive television and advanced mobile-phone technologies.”
The ban will not extend to those in Australia offering their
services to punters based overseas. The Australian gambling service
providers (not the ISPs) will have the onus of checking that users
are from overseas only. The decision follows a one-year moratorium
on internet gambling, due to expire in May. Alston added that the
decision was an attempt to displace Australia’s position among the
world’s leading problem gambling nations.
The vast number of worldwide gambling web sites means that
Australians are unlikely to have too much difficulty in gaining
access to gambling services.
