The Australian branch of online gambling group Betfair is championing the cause of Internet gambling Downunder, recommending to a government committee studying gambling reform that legalising and regulating Internet casino and poker gambling would be a good bet.

The government's Productivity Commission is in the first phase of a government consultation process to study gambling reform, and has to date received over 200 submissions from interested parties other than Betfair. In the next phase, public hearings are scheduled for September, eventually leading to the Commission's full report to the federal government in November 2009.

Many submissions made to the Commission thus far have called for changes to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, among them Betfair's suggestions which include opening up online casino games and poker, and more player-sensitive rules that will permit in-running bets. Betfair claims that current bans are not practically enforceable and merely drive Australians offshore in the pursuit of their pastime.

The betting exchange estimates that as much as A$ 300 million a year leaves the country in bets with offshore Internet gambling sites, cash that could stay at home in an enlightened approach to the fait accompli of Internet gambling. The submission signles out online poker for a special mention, commenting: “Poker has undergone a phenomenal rise in popularity in recent years, and as a result, more and more poker and other card game players are turning to the web.


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