Australian Gambling Facts
Few Aussies will deny that gambling is part of their culture. Whether it's betting on the cricket or a round of poker, Australians like a flutter.
A nation of gamblers
Aussies have been gambling for as long as the Union Jack has flown over the Canberra parliament. With a history of world class cricket and rugby, a betting culture has developed around these sports. But gambling culture is not restricted to sport. Aussies are responsible for inventing straightforward betting games such as Two Up, a game that bets on the outcome of a flip of a coin.
Legality
Online gambling is something of a grey area in Australia. In 2001, the Australian government passed a law called the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) which blocked Australian online gambling providers from operating but did not affect users of online gambling services based abroad. Sports betting is also permitted in Australia, and a number of state-sponsored sports books such as Betfair, Centrebet, and Sportingbet are all operating very successfully.
Government regulation
Online gambling has sparked immense interest in government circles, not least because of the potential tax revenues associated with the venture. With its open attitude to sports and land-based casino gambling, online gambling is sure to thrive in Australia, and this will inevitably stimulate government regulation. Government intervention is likely to keep the charlatans out of the business - a situation that benefits both player and casino operator alike.
Problem gambling
Nobody in the casino industry wants to see anyone in the grips of gambling addiction. As a result, the gambling industry takes problem gambling extremely seriously. To this end, it has introduced a range of programs designed to prevent gambling dependency at all levels of addiction.
