Will Australia legalise online poker playing?
With every move, there are likely to be reactions, some in agreement and some in an equal force but opposite direction and it seems as the strengthening of the US war against online gaming has made a lot of people stand up for themselves. The WSOP has been hit with regards to numbers at their major events, mainly due to their association with Full Tilt Poker, but it is fair to say that they have been still bringing in a good number of entrants for each event. The biggest reactions are coming from around the world as other nations look at the actions of the US and wonder what impact it will have on them.
There are some nations where gambling is forbidden and it is unlikely that they will be changing their opinions based on anything the United States has acted upon. After all, many nations and belief systems have an inherent opposition to gambling that lasted long before the internet was created and will still be around long after all of us have passed on.
Will there be a change in Aussie rules?
However, there are a number of more liberal societies who have probably felt that the US moves against these online poker sites was far too heavy handed and are now looking at their own restrictions. One such nation that may be considering it’s time for a change is Australia and as you would expect, a prominent sports betting operator is calling on the Australian government to be brave and make the changes that the population want to see.
Why would the owner of Betfair want a change in gaming rules?
These demands are being made by Andrew Twaits, who is the owner of Betfair, so it is easy to see that he has a vested interest in any discussion about online gaming and some may feel that he is unlikely to consider both sides of the argument as well as some other parties might. This would be a fair opinion to hold but one of the best things about the Betfair site is that they allow players to take a bet on from either side of the line so perhaps he may be able to give a more balanced opinion. Or maybe not!
However, Twaits feels that people in Australia can be trusted to play online responsibly and feels as though they should be able to gamble online without fearing being caught and punished. It would be naïve to say that no one in Australia gambles online but it is fair enough to accept that they do so at their own risk. Removing the legislation that hampers them from doing so at the moment may encourage a greater degree of freedom for online gamers in Australia and this is certainly something that would benefit Andrew Twaits. It would also benefit a lot of Australians as well.