Bookmakers Demand Review of Australian Sports Gambling Laws

Top online sportsbooks in Australia joined hands (unless there was a cold Victoria beer in that hand) and as a single roar began to demand that the government start listening to the the majority of Australians who want liberalization of Australian gambling laws.

The current hodgepodge of laws are preventing fine Aussies such as Koala ‘Crunch’ O’Doole, the king of in game bets in Australia, from competing with foreign-based rivals on fair basis. The bookmakers which are organizing this unruly mob of perpetually drunk and rowdy miscreants are the executives at blue chip sports betting conglomerates such as Betfair and Sportsbet.

A more realistic approach to Australian gambling laws has been called upon by the companies in their submissions to the government’s review of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. Sportsbet suggest that laws should allow Australian operators to offer live betting opportunities.

The company’s statement reads: “Betting after an event has commenced is available over the phone and in retail outlets in Australia. With Australian-based websites prohibited from offering betting in the run in online, Australians are choosing to place bets through unregulated overseas websites.”

Betfair joined their colleagues in an attempt to abolish live betting restrictions around online live betting. The sports betting giant sees sensible and practical regulation as an effective way to manage issues including responsible gambling and integrity in sport.

The company shared with Australia gambling news: “Further, Australian consumers of these services would be afforded enhanced consumer protection, tax revenues would remain in Australia and can be used to fund problem gambling programs and research projects, and Australian operators will be able to compete with offshore gambling operators on an even playing field.”

The statement continued to mention: “One key reason that the IGA is presently ineffective is that it failed to regulate services, and instead focused on the methods by which those services are delivered (e.g. telephone, internet) and therefore became antiquated on a rapid basis.”

Gaming operators were invited to submit their views on the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 in August this year. The government’s review was expected to feature investigating the increase of online gambling and the impact of mobile devices on online gambling services in Australia, coupled with the convergence of new and already existing technologies.

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