Online Poker Officially Banned in Australia

[OzExorcist]

This is unfortunate.
To ban online poker and at the same time to open a gambling zone - isn't that insanity?

They're not opening anything - sports betting has always been legal here, live casinos have always been legal here, online poker and casinos have always been banned here, nothing's really changing. They're just going to start enforcing the existing laws.

And it's not entirely insane. They have mechanisms in place to ensure that the online sports betting offered to Australians is basically safe and responsible. They don't, at least not yet, for online poker. That could change in the future.

 

[BluffMeAllIn]

hmmmm I could setup a few pc's with the basics, and rent them out over the internet to some aussies (or us for that matter) and they could connect to it via the internet and play there poker from canada essentially and I'm sure we could accommodate a couple of people at the same address or do a little magic with that side of it .... any interest, monthly fee negotiable depending on limits you play and system availability :rofl:

this sucks guys.

 

[lotuspod]

If they've ignored the law in America then it seems likely they'd ignore it in other jurisdictions too.

Whether that means you should move your bankroll there is a question only you can answer. Sounds like too much hassle and risk for my money though.

They don't blatantly ignore the law or anything, it's more of a gray area tbh...especially with bitcoin now since it's pushing the networks further towards a more p2p model. Also it all really depends on exactly how the aus law is worded in the final version, if it's done similar ours in the us then yeah you can expect to see the same sites or at the very least skins linked to these networks. If they enforce it strongly enough with both wording and possible action, then even these networks will pull out as they have in a few us states and countries.

And nah lol you don't move your whole roll over necessarily, bitcoin transactions are usually pretty quick so most players can limit their overall risk by a lot. But leaving it in btc is a whole other gamble in itself and then it could get a bit messy when doing btc-aus exchanges, again it depends a lot on how they and other major countries deal with btc over the coming years(same as here and in most countries tbh).

Edit - And then there's the even newer model that relies on sweepstakes laws(globalpoker is an example). It's pretty much the same principle though... instead of directly playing poker with legal currency, you indirectly play by buying something else that represents a certain currency (play chips + $ chips that aren't actual cash but represent it). When you cash out, you're awarded it as a "prize" and the equivalent $ chips are deducted from your account.

 

[Ealve]

For fans of playing in online poker in Australia, the times were not very good. But there is a way out of this situation, they can be played in on-line casinos using VPN, in order to hide their location

 

[shinedown.45]

Wow, how dumb can govs be????

they are not getting their cut they are not happy and look to ways to prevent their loss (company tax) to offshore unlicensed businesses.

And I'm afraid more governments will follow suit.

 

[OzExorcist]

For fans of playing in online poker in Australia, the times were not very good. But there is a way out of this situation, they can be played in on-line casinos using VPN, in order to hide their location

Yeah... nah. It's nowhere near as easy as that.

 

[Zorba]

I was informed that Stars can detect a VPN and wont allow it. Just like other banned software that they can detect, what documents if asked by Stars will anyone be able to provide with a valid address.

 

[kidkvno1]

And I'm afraid more governments will follow suit.

So very true, and sad..
:joyman:

 

[OzExorcist]

I was informed that Stars can detect a VPN and wont allow it. Just like other banned software that they can detect, what documents if asked by Stars will anyone be able to provide with a valid address.

Yeah even before this Stars wouldn't work when I had my VPN turned on - drove me mental until I worked out that's why it wasn't connecting.

There might be more sophisticated VPN setups that might fool them, but I wouldn't bet on it...

 

[Leko]

so sad :|

 

[BlackJesus]

Kinda weird, dont you think? - its OKay to play slot machines but playing poker that at least gives you chance to have positive balance - thats forbidden.

 

[tigeraxl]

Thats crazy ,poker loosing field more & more .I actually have a bad feeling that will be banned even in Europe or most of countryes.In my country from past years when you could basicaly count few hundreds poker rooms,you can now count it on youre fingers.

 

[OzExorcist]

Kinda weird, dont you think? - its OKay to play slot machines but playing poker that at least gives you chance to have positive balance - thats forbidden.

So... that's not actually the case.

Both slot machines and poker are legal in brick and mortar casinos and other licensed venues in Australia. Both are banned online. They're treated basically the same.

 

[1k95]

The Australian online gambling market was one of the largest in the world with an annual turnover of $ 20 billion.

 

[DAMAN74]

sorry to hear it assie land

 

[OzExorcist]

The Australian online gambling market was one of the largest in the world with an annual turnover of $ 20 billion.

I've got absolutely NFI if that's true - I guess it depends what they mean by "turnover". If it's just raw amounts bet online (irrespective of winnings) then I "turned over" around $10K last year and I'm only a very small bettor. So I guess if that's the definition then it's possible.

Wherever the number comes from, and whatever the actual number is though, this ban will have only a microscopic impact on it. Because if I were a betting man (and LOL I totally am), I'd be betting that the vast, vast majority of that "turnover" comes from online sports betting. Which, as we've established, will continue to be 100% legal. Australian online poker is tiny by comparison.

 

[crimsonblur]

I really do not understand how congress thinks this is a good idea. I assume casino lobbying had some influence on this decision but in the end a country is just limiting the rights of its citizens.

 

[OzExorcist]

I really do not understand how congress thinks this is a good idea. I assume casino lobbying had some influence on this decision but in the end a country is just limiting the rights of its citizens.

This is Australia, we don't have a Congress

By all accounts the casinos don't care one way or the other about this rule. They might get a bit of extra business from people who used to play online now having live games as their only option. They might lose a bit of business from online satellites and/or online poker no longer being a feeder to their cash games. But in either case, poker is such a small part of their overall business that they don't seem fussed either way.

Personally I'm surprised they don't push for legalisation so they can open up their own online rooms, but it toook the biggest one (Crown) about 10 years to get around to opening their own online sportsbook, so who knows what their thinking is on poker.

As for limiting the rights of citizens... that all depends on your point of view. Governments need to strike a balance between "rights" and the greater public good. In this case it's people's "right" to gamble vs protection of at-risk people from problem gambling, fraud and the like.

Back when this ban was originally written 15-odd years ago they didn't have access to the means they do today to ensure those protections while still letting people play. They could have passed all the fraud and problem gambling protections they liked, they had no way of enforcing them on companies based in the Cayman Islands or Gibraltar or wherever. Of course the ultimate irony is they put the ban in place but then never bothered to enforce it, giving us the worst of bother worlds...

Nowadays they could ensure those protections, and the sites are MUCH more likely to play ball with them and comply, but they obviously just forgot online poker existed until it was too late.

 

[bartleby]

Sounds like they don't even wanna try to improve the situation or better to say, try something new what might have the potential to make them a innovative country in that area. I think in the public opinion it is simply better and brings the politicians more votes when they are restrictive and old school - the majority of people are simply not playing online poker.

 

[Jhon Lozano]

Online games, like poker, generate more union in the countries, it makes me weird that Australia did something like that.

 

[nutthink]

its banned in my Country too but I use Anonimox so I can play in pokerstars...

 

[OzExorcist]

Sounds like they don't even wanna try to improve the situation or better to say, try something new what might have the potential to make them a innovative country in that area. I think in the public opinion it is simply better and brings the politicians more votes when they are restrictive and old school - the majority of people are simply not playing online poker.

OMG I think I might die laughing - Australia and innovation?

We're still in the process of rolling out a national broadband internet infrastructure. It's been going on for what feels like almost 10 years now, and they're still a few years away from finishing. And when it's finished, we'll still have some of the slowest internet in the world.

Australia is many things, and I love the place dearly. But when it comes to innovation online, we somehow both suck AND blow.

 

[Zorba]

Yeah even before this Stars wouldn't work when I had my VPN turned on - drove me mental until I worked out that's why it wasn't connecting.

There might be more sophisticated VPN setups that might fool them, but I wouldn't bet on it...

I wouldn't risk it, I almost have all of my BR off of Stars, I still have 5 $11 tickets and one $16.50 ticket. I wonder if I will get the full face value of them.

OMG I think I might die laughing - Australia and innovation?

We're still in the process of rolling out a national broadband internet infrastructure. It's been going on for what feels like almost 10 years now, and they're still a few years away from finishing. And when it's finished, we'll still have some of the slowest internet in the world.

Australia is many things, and I love the place dearly. But when it comes to innovation online, we somehow both suck AND blow.

We have Boomerangs, Didgeridoo, Automatic totalisator, Cochlear implant, Polymer banknote, Black box flight recorder, Baby safety capsule,
Flat plate solar hot water system, H2Zero Caroma's waterless urinal, The Mountbatten Brailler, Penicillin, Spray-on skin for burns victims, and we can't leave out Vegemite, Budgie smugglers, the Hills hoist and the Winged Keel.



I am of the opinion that Stars and 888 got out or are getting out soon so they can return legally at some time hopefully in the near future, once the government starts getting their tax revenue they will become in love with it.

:top:

 

[OzExorcist]

We have Boomerangs, Didgeridoo, Automatic totalisator, Cochlear implant, Polymer banknote, Black box flight recorder, Baby safety capsule,
Flat plate solar hot water system, H2Zero Caroma's waterless urinal, The Mountbatten Brailler, Penicillin, Spray-on skin for burns victims, and we can't leave out Vegemite, Budgie smugglers, the Hills hoist and the Winged Keel.

Oh yeah, we've invented and innovated all sorts of amazing stuff over the years. I'm just saying that when it comes to the internet, we're about as much good as a string bag full of shark farts

 

[BagBier]

its banned in my Country too but I use Anonimox so I can play in pokerstars...

You can use different programs, VPN, etc. ... But what if the poker rooms themselves do not allow players to play, obeying the governments decision?