Australian officials
have announced their intent
to outlaw online gambling
for Australian residents.
The curious aspect of
these intentions comes
from the fact that they
intend to leave telephone
'call-in' wagering in
tact.
How much sense does this
make? Is this just an
atack on the internet
itself? How much is this
going to cost the online
gambling industry?
These politicians are
threatening $1,000,000
a day fines to online
casinos and internet sportsbooks
in an effort to deter
problem gamblers. The
only difference between
placing a bet over the
internet and wagering
via the telephone is that
you would use a keyboard
instead of a handset.
This doesn't make much
sense at all, to answer
one of the earlier questions.
Suppose you are a 'problem
gambler' surfing the internet
in search of online casinos
where you can place bets
with real cash. You happen
upon a site that at one
time offered online wagering
but has now posted a statement
that reads something like,
"We are sorry for
any inconvenience but
due to current regulations,
we are forced to have
you pick up your phone
and call this number (xxx-xxx-kcollier63)
to place your wagers".
Do you suppose the problem
gambler will just say,
"Oh, I guess it's
not worth the hassle"?
If this becomes an ongoing
trend in the gambling
industry then many millions
of dollars are sure to
be lost...... by the casino
operators rather than
the avid gamblers in this
case.
Here's a thought.....
Could the land-based casinos
be behind this legislation.
I would imagine that they
could be lobbying heavily
for these types of actions.
The other side of the
coin is the fact that
land-based casinos are
in the infancy stages
of entering the online
gambling industry themselves.
One thing is a sure bet...
Gambling itself will outlive
any legislation that comes
to pass. It's just too
big of an industry to
roll over and die at the
feet of these legislators.
