Australia-to crack down on illegal online gambling

same_old

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HI All,

MODS- please remove this thread altogether if this has already been pasted.

Thought it be a good read as well as a heads up for the Aussie members here.

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AUSTRALIANS who play poker online could be on borrowed time as federal agencies close the net on illegal gambling websites.

The Australian Crime Commission has urged the Federal Government and the Australian Federal Police to start charging poker websites blatantly getting around Australian legislation, by outlawing their services.

Sources close to the matter said the ACC had told the authorities to "pull their finger out".

The move comes after US authorities last month indicted the founders of the three largest poker websites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker.

The FBI co-ordinated with the ACC and AFP as part of the crackdown which also involved fallen Brisbane IT tycoon Daniel Tzvetkoff, who was allegedly processing online poker transactions in the US.

As The Courier-Mail reported last month, several young Queenslanders are making a mint playing poker online sometimes earning up to $750,000 a year tax-free.

Providing online poker, bingo and casino games to Australians can draw fines as high as $1.1 million a day under the Interactive Gambling Act but no organisation has been charged in the decade since the laws were enacted.

This is despite the PokerStars website owning a subsidiary, GP Information Services, in Sydney. The company promotes PokerStars and Australian banks are used to transfer funds overseas.

Digital Economy Minister Stephen Conroy said the Government was investigating whether GP Information Services had breached the IGA but admitted authorities had problems enforcing the laws.

"As the internet is a cross-jurisdictional medium, it is difficult for Australia to enforce our laws on companies not based in Australia," a spokeswoman for Senator Conroy said.

"The Government continues to examine the regulatory approaches taken by other countries to online gambling to see what can be learnt about the best way to respond."

An Australian Productivity Commission report on online gambling last year said the IGA had limited success reducing online poker and that its effectiveness was likely to "decrease over time". The report said the industry could be better regulated if online poker was legalised. Several other Australian-based companies that deal with online poker transactions could also be charged under the IGA for "aiding and abetting" illegal websites.

Acting ACC chief executive Karen Harfield said she would not comment on specific cases. But she said: "Online gambling is a potential channel for money laundering and revenue and taxation fraud.

"The ACC works with a wide variety of Government and law enforcement agencies to combat serious and organised crime, including money laundering. This includes working with international law enforcement agencies."

An AFP spokeswoman said referrals from other agencies were prioritised according to the resources available and it had received a request for assistance from the US to take action against PokerStars.

She would not comment further on the ongoing investigation.

The Australian-based director of GP Information Services Craig Meagher did not return emails or phone calls.

For more on the crackdown on internet poker sites by US and Australian police go to the Courier-Mail.
 
Well, looks like Australian players will join the US players in having been told what to do by their government.

Who or what is next?
 
The Australian law only provides for offences committed by companies and individuals who advertise online gambling to Australian citizens.

No penalty exists for citizens who actually gamble, and given the minority government here I doubt there will be any in the foreseeable future.

I'm not concerned in the least.

P.s Ty for the info same_old
 
It's an interesting development - especially the involvement of US federal officials in trying to get the Aussie feds to clamp down. How vindictive and hardball is that!?!

I'm pretty sure that Pokerstars thought the GP Information Services thing through very carefully before investing in Oz - I believe they employ over a hundred people in Sydney - and that its operations are entirely in compliance with Australian law.

Some of the most successful and well established operators on the internet are based in Australia, although they are careful not to accept action from Australian residents.

In addition, at least three major British companies are now involved in Australia through partnerships, mergers and acquisitions - Paddy Power, Sportingbet and Betfair. I doubt that they would have involved themselves without a thorough appraisal and legal advice...and they employ considerable numbers of Aussies as well.

I agree with Nifty here - short of controversial changes to the law, I don't think this 'clampdown' is going to come to much.
 
these organized [gangsters ]/ politicians really want to know what we are doing with there retirement money they the pol's actually think its more thers than yours
after all you will pass away long time Pryor to the system sucking all of it$$ back through taxes ,fees etc

what ever happened to knee capping :rolleyes:
 
I think the folks in OZ can thank their native son, Rupert Murdock for this.

News corp and the rest of Murdocks holdings and publications are all very very active in opposing online gambling.
Murdock is kind of like William Randolf Hearst who was opposed to Marijuana.
Hurst was not above lying and just plain making stuff up to get people opposed to Marijuana. Now Murdock is doing the same thing with Online Gambling... Funny how history repeats it's self.
 
ONLY IN THE usa

meet the[HEARST ] grand daughter got off free oh its a bank job for real

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Grand-daughter of William Randolph Hearst, media mogul who was the basis of Orson Wells' Citizen Kane.
She was kidnapped in 1974 by a group calling itself The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and held for 57 days. She seemingly threw in with her captors, and was caught on tape robbing a bank with them.
She escaped an ensuing shootout in which most of the gang perished (when their house burned down) and became a fugitive for nearly a year before she was captured.
In 1976 she was convicted of bank robbery and sent to prison.
 
ONLY IN THE usa

meet the[HEARST ] grand daughter got off free oh its a bank job for real

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.


Grand-daughter of William Randolph Hearst, media mogul who was the basis of Orson Wells' Citizen Kane.
She was kidnapped in 1974 by a group calling itself The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and held for 57 days. She seemingly threw in with her captors, and was caught on tape robbing a bank with them.
She escaped an ensuing shootout in which most of the gang perished (when their house burned down) and became a fugitive for nearly a year before she was captured.
In 1976 she was convicted of bank robbery and sent to prison.
Patty Hearst AKA Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw
Is now a successful actress and author... and she donates HUGE amounts of money to the Republican Party...

Hearst(the old man) was also behind the religious group that financed the classic film "Reefer Madness". A crass example of Early American Movie Propaganda.
Hearst would also 'make up' News Stories about people going mad smoking pot and killing their families and other stuff like that...

Kinda like some of the stuff Murdock is doing today about online casinos...
 
Patty Hearst AKA Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw
Is now a successful actress and author... and she donates HUGE amounts of money to the Republican Party...

remarkable success for a x home grown terrorist convicted bank robber and fugitive from the law i would say

dont thik anyone on here could pull that off :rolleyes:
R C
 
Its all about the revenue- the gov't doesnt get a cut from online gambling - but allows online sportsbooks and TAB because it does. NSW gov't wouldn't survive without the poker machine (slots) taxes at every club. pub and the casino and a common and true expression is Australians would bet on 2 flys crawling up a wall.

The online gambling "ban" has been around for years and is so full of loopholes it is unenforceable- as nifty pointed out the only effect that works is to ban australian online sites from promoting to Australians . Don;t think we will take much notice of the US requests in this- we got into bed with George W and its made us celibate.

Ther is a little bit of a push re gambling as one of the independants needed to form the gov't struck a deal re reducing number of land poker machines and limits but this hasn't filtered through to online gambling.

Like Nifty- thanks for the heads up but not particularly worried either.
 
Megamouth anti-gambling Aussie politician Nick Xenophone appears to be at it again, too.

He's proposing another bill featuring sports betting:


Nick Xenophon plans on better regulating online sportsbetting in Australia with the release for comment of a draft bill within the next week.

The bill will reportedly cover the following areas:

- Restrict advertising of betting venues and online gambling sites on commercial and subscription radio and television during all G-rated programming and sporting programs.

- Prohibit commentators from quoting betting odds where a commercial arrangement exists between them/the program/the network and the betting agency.

- Prohibit operators from offering spot betting, exotic bets and in-play betting (where you bet on particular sporting encounters - anything from the exact timing of the first throw-in during a football match to whether the first ball of a cricket match will be a wide or a no-ball, etc.)

- Prohibit operators from offering bets to be placed on losing outcomes.

- Possible amendments to address the topic of match-fixing in terms of investigative powers and penalties.
 
Megamouth anti-gambling Aussie politician Nick Xenophone appears to be at it again, too.

He's proposing another bill featuring sports betting:


Nick Xenophon plans on better regulating online sportsbetting in Australia with the release for comment of a draft bill within the next week.

The bill will reportedly cover the following areas:

- Restrict advertising of betting venues and online gambling sites on commercial and subscription radio and television during all G-rated programming and sporting programs.

- Prohibit commentators from quoting betting odds where a commercial arrangement exists between them/the program/the network and the betting agency.

- Prohibit operators from offering spot betting, exotic bets and in-play betting (where you bet on particular sporting encounters - anything from the exact timing of the first throw-in during a football match to whether the first ball of a cricket match will be a wide or a no-ball, etc.)

- Prohibit operators from offering bets to be placed on losing outcomes.

- Possible amendments to address the topic of match-fixing in terms of investigative powers and penalties.

Currently, independent senators Nick Xenophon and Steve Fielding hold the balance in the Australian Senate.

From July 1 the new Senate begins sitting without Fielding who lost his seat, and the balance of power now rests with The Australian Greens.

Hence, Xenophon is now pretty much a lame duck and what might be 'demands' now will be mere suggestions in a few weeks.

The other important point is that the Independents who hold balance of power in the House of Representatives are not anti-gambling (apart from the greens member who is backing Xenophon but his vote would be nullified by the other conservative independents), therefore it is unlikely any significant changes will actually occur.

Thanks for the info as always jetset just thought I would add some background.
 
- Restrict advertising of betting venues and online gambling sites on commercial and subscription radio and television during all G-rated programming and sporting programs.

- Prohibit commentators from quoting betting odds where a commercial arrangement exists between them/the program/the network and the betting agency.

- Prohibit operators from offering spot betting, exotic bets and in-play betting (where you bet on particular sporting encounters - anything from the exact timing of the first throw-in during a football match to whether the first ball of a cricket match will be a wide or a no-ball, etc.)

- Possible amendments to address the topic of match-fixing in terms of investigative powers and penalties

I don't have a problem with most of that. Kids shouldn't be betting anyway, its getting tiresome hearing commentators quote the odds every few minutes when you're watching a game, and exotic bets are for mugs and are far easier to influence than the result of a match (eg the Tandy NRL case).

- Prohibit operators from offering bets to be placed on losing outcomes.

No way jose! I love being able to lay a result on Betfair.

As far as in-play betting goes, it is already barred via the Internet. You have to make a phone call to Betfair if you want to do it, and if everyone else is like me (ha!) most people couldn't be bothered. But it would be nice if they left that alone.
 
Surprisingly I agree with Zenophons attempt to crackdown on slots at every pub, club etc=especially the targeting and proliferation of slots in pubs clubs in low income areas. Happy to have a casino and maybe the clubs (some of which have as many slots as a casino in Vegas) = but to have them at practically every hotel/pub has just gone to far and is causing misery to those that can least afford it. I also beleive the stats on problem gambling with the slots in NSW is way understated as it is dependant on persons admitting they have a problem and seeking help fron the various gambling lines- a reduction in the number of venues and machines is not a bad thing.

As to reducing sports bet advertising- don't have a problem with that either= don't think it is anywhere near as much an issue as the slot proliferation but littles do watch sports on TV and it seems a tad hypocritical to not allow sight of slots/jackpots etc from the street, not allow the casinos to advertise but allow sports betting advertising without restriction. Don;t think it will have much impact though.
 
What do William Randph Hearst, Wyatt Earp and Joe Dimaggio?

All buried in Colma, California; the second largest city in the state after Los Angeles if you count all the dead interred there. Levi Strauss and Admiral Nimitz are also interred there, along with whole circuses, people laid to rest in their favorite form of conveyace and of course baseball great Lefty O' Doul who has a bat and ball on hos headstone and epitaph reads, "I was here at a good time and had a good time while I was here.". One should also see the Pabsts Blue Ribbon beer founders crypt near Hearst mini mansion crypt. The beer baron has stuffed chairs and pets in tbe tomb for family to grieve.

Oddly, the Hearst crypt is ornate but has no family name on it, although is on a small burm in the Cemetary's center as a last elitist gesture among his ownkind. No wonder Citizen Kane and Reefer madness follow this uber rich goofball even beyond the grave. The grave is unmarked so it won't be spit upon or robbed by those he hurt whilst he drew breah.


ONLY IN THE usa

meet the[HEARST ] grand daughter got off free oh its a bank job for real

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.


Grand-daughter of William Randolph Hearst, media mogul who was the basis of Orson Wells' Citizen Kane.
She was kidnapped in 1974 by a group calling itself The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and held for 57 days. She seemingly threw in with her captors, and was caught on tape robbing a bank with them.
She escaped an ensuing shootout in which most of the gang perished (when their house burned down) and became a fugitive for nearly a year before she was captured.
In 1976 she was convicted of bank robbery and sent to prison.
 
All buried in Colma, California; the second largest city in the state after Los Angeles if you count all the dead interred there. Levi Strauss and Admiral Nimitz are also interred there, along with whole circuses, people laid to rest in their favorite form of conveyace and of course baseball great Lefty O' Doul who has a bat and ball on hos headstone and epitaph reads, "I was here at a good time and had a good time while I was here.". One should also see the Pabsts Blue Ribbon beer founders crypt near Hearst mini mansion crypt. The beer baron has stuffed chairs and pets in tbe tomb for family to grieve.

Oddly, the Hearst crypt is ornate but has no family name on it, although is on a small burm in the Cemetary's center as a last elitist gesture among his ownkind. No wonder Citizen Kane and Reefer madness follow this uber rich goofball even beyond the grave. The grave is unmarked so it won't be spit upon or robbed by those he hurt whilst he drew breah.

Ummmm.....what's that got to do with this topic??
 
All buried in Colma, California; the second largest city in the state after Los Angeles if you count all the dead interred there. Levi Strauss and Admiral Nimitz are also interr...

Cool story, Bro. :laugh:
 
Ummmm.....what's that got to do with this topic??
I think it is because of my rant about Rupert Murdock and how he is doing to online gambling what Hearst did to Marijuana...
But I could be wrong, my stuffing maybe too tightly packed... ;)
 
Rupert Murdoch is Hearst In Our Time

Western facism is to take Civil Liberties away through fear and self-enrichment of the burgeious class that usrs government as a means to steal from lower caste; i.e. Persons with networth under $50,000,000 dollars. It isn't money launderimg, rather a money grab by the connected that control large parts of supposed Western governments.

All buried in Colma, California; the second largest city in the state after Los Angeles if you count all the dead interred there. Levi Strauss and Admiral Nimitz are also interred there, along with whole circuses, people laid to rest in their favorite form of conveyace and of course baseball great Lefty O' Doul who has a bat and ball on hos headstone and epitaph reads, "I was here at a good time and had a good time while I was here.". One should also see the Pabsts Blue Ribbon beer founders crypt near Hearst mini mansion crypt. The beer baron has stuffed chairs and pets in tbe tomb for family to grieve.

Oddly, the Hearst crypt is ornate but has no family name on it, although is on a small burm in the Cemetary's center as a last elitist gesture among his ownkind. No wonder Citizen Kane and Reefer madness follow this uber rich goofball even beyond the grave. The grave is unmarked so it won't be spit upon or robbed by those he hurt whilst he drew breah.
 

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