Aussie Online Gambling
Laws Could become Stricter
 January
14 - According to a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald,
Clubs Australia is pushing for the government to amend
its gambling laws to prevent online gambling operators from
accepting credit cards as a form of payment from online gamblers, because it offers
an unfair advantage over their land counterparts.
Currently gambling laws in Australia prevent gamblers from using
credit cards in land casinos, pubs and clubs as a way to prevent
and discourage problem gambling. However, the current laws do
not apply to online casinos, where players are more than welcome to use
credits cards to fund their accounts.
Said Clubs Australia CEO, David Costello, 'The Australian
government should standardise the laws to ban people from using
credit cards to fund their Internet and telephone gambling
accounts. The way online casinos incentivise people to use
credit cards by offering bonuses, invites problem gambling.'
Of course, you don't have to be a rocket surgeon to see what's
really going on. Clubs Australia is obviously peeved that
Australia's many land casinos are bogged down by rules and
regulations that don't apply to online gambling operators, which
ultimately gives them a financial advantage.
Said Costello, 'Clubs Australia has worked tirelessly with
government to reduce the level of problem gambling in the
community, and we are not just prepared to sit back and watch a group
of online casinos promote responsible gambling through an
email address to a counseling centre in Los Angeles.'
While we here at dish believe this reeks of sour grapes,
apparently the Australian government is taking Costello's claims
seriously as they have permitted Clubs Australia to submit a
proposal to the Productivity Commission, which is in the midst
of conducting an inquiry into problem gambling in the country.
It's no secret that an increasing number of Australians are
opting to gamble online from the safety and privacy of their own
homes, rather than in public places.
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