Australians Barred From Gambling Online

An Anonymous Coward writes: "The Sydney Morning Herald is running a story today about online gambling. Australians will be banned from gambling on online casinos -- domestic or offshore. The deal, made on the day before Federal Parliament goes into winter recess, means that in six months' time interactive gambling operators will not be able to enforce debts owed by Australians gambling on their sites."

Comments

Ok, here's how it works...

[newt]

Here's how the legislation works:

Australians can get connectivity to overseas casinos - no problem. No blocking by ISPs, no need to create blacklists, etc.

The Australian Government, within the next six months, is required to implement additional legislation which will prohibit banks from honoring credit card debits originating from transactions with casinos. They'll still have to honor credits, though. You can tell whether a credit card has been issued by an Australian bank by looking at the first four digits.

When an Australian gambles at an overseas casino and wins, they'll get to keep their winnings, because the casino will post a credit to their credit card account. When they lose, though, the casino will attempt to post a debit transaction... which the banks will be required, by legislation, to dishonor.

So Australians will still be able to gamble, but they'll never lose.

So there's no need to prohibit Australians from visiting online casinos overseas, because online casinos overseas will simply refuse to do business with them. You have an Australian credit card number? Sorry, that card isn't accepted here.

This isn't a technological issue, it's a financial "solution" to the "problem" of online gambling. Why bother banning it when the casinos themselves will do it for you?

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won't somebody think of the CHILDREN!

[ColaMan]

For god's sake, won't *somebody* think of the children!

Poor little helpless souls, just think of the extra money a family could spend on their children , if only online gambling was banned FOREVER!

Oh wait.

There's poker machines and keno in just about every pub in .au , lottery draws on the TV 3 days a week, the TAB has a phone betting service, you can buy scratch and win (lose?) tickets at every newsagent in town, and they've *gasp* banned internet gambling.

Hypocritical bastard politicians - more concerned about the tax drain and Big Business than people's quality of life.

Most aussies would prefer to head off down to the track, or the pub, or the TAB and socialise whilst blowing the family life savings.

Just another thing that makes me wish that shock collars could be fitted to all politicians.

Hey, maybe we could activate them via the internet? It'd be great!

Politician on TV - "I think the internet is evil and we should censor ..*bZzZzZzT* ,er monitor.. *BzZzZzZzT*, ah, review ... *BZZZZZZZZZT* The internet is good! The internet is good!"

A man can dream, can't he?


** Windows has detected a mouse movement.

IOU

[joq]

One can easily see why most governments would try to outlaw online gaming. Taxes no other reasons why. Online gambling epsecially offshore gambling removes the currency normally given to the state/country. Here in the US well in NY at least we have OTB (Off Track Betting) which is monopolized... errr, controlled by the state, and anything in relation to horse racing passes through there without question, taxes are paid, Uncle S(c)am is happy. Lottery same thing.

Gambling is big business anywhere you go, and unless money is coming back into the state, they'll here none of it. Sort of similar to what the Secret Service did to Gold Age, a raid of their business. Governments despise people not paying money to them, and anyone doing so they're going to make sure they get them. What happened with Gold Age, is simple, no one pays taxes for buying `e-gold` and much can't be done to trace anything.

Big Bro gets pissed, we bitch, a week later another circumvention procedure takes over. Snowball Effects 101