Australia ban online poker and In-play betting

CANBERRA -- Australia's federal parliament just closed loopholes to ban online poker under changes to gambling laws passed by the Senate on Tuesday which also outlaw in-play sports betting.

The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 came about after the Review of Illegal Offshore Wagering in 2015, which recommended tightening up federal laws around gambling online. The 2001 Interactive Gambling Act had already sought to outlaw online gambling -- including poker, blackjack and roulette -- but this amendment bill aimed to close "loopholes" which allowed online gambling to continue, according to Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm.


"It's stupid," he told The Huffington Post Australia.

"If you want to play poker, there are lots of opportunities in Australia, at casinos and tournaments. It's not as if there isn't a great deal of poker playing already, but they're just stopping it online. The whole world is online now."

Leyonhjelm has been a vocal opponent of the amendment, claiming the changes are unnecessary and ineffective.



"The original 2001 law was meant to stop online gambling of many kinds, but it didn't, there was a loophole. There is quite an active online poker community in Australia. I don't think it will succeed for those really determined. If you have a [virtual private network] or offshore account, you will still play. It's a stupid situation to be in," he said.

Read more m.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/03/20/austr...-betting_a_21903788/