Australian Senator vows to continue fighting online gambling

Australia is a gambling friendly country where sports betting is a common pastime activity for many Australians, with so much as 80% of a population taking part in some form of gambling, be it lottery, sports betting or casino play.

Gambling is legal in Australia since the 19th century and online gambling services are provided by companies that existed and offered online gambling services prior to 2001. This is due to the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) of 2001 that prohibits new providers from entering the Australian market.

Last month we reported that Australian Senator Xenophon voiced his concerns regarding a multitude of online operators not licensed in Australia that offer their services to Australian punters with little supervision and no course of legal action on the part of punters in cases of disputes.

Senator Xenophon also complained about the endless broadcasting of sporting events and sports betting odds by local media that fuels the country’s never-ending interest in sports betting.

In addition he was pressuring the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to also include in its review of illegal online sports betting other online providers such as PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker as he was claiming these online poker providers are also in violation of the IGA.

The AFP refused to give in to his demands but that did not deter Senator Xenophon. This month the Senator released a statement vowing to “be a pesky, persistent bastard in and out of the Senate”.

His announcement came after it was announced that the FBI has requested the AFP to charge poker sites allegedly breaching the IGA.