Exemption of online poker from the provisions of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Act put on hold pending the implementation of the National Consumer Protection Framework.
The Australian federal Senate committee appointed to examine the possibility of exempting online poker from the prohibitions of the recently passed Interactive Gambling Amendment Act (see previous InfoPowa reports) has completed its work and submitted its comprehensive report and recommendations.
Whilst the possibility of legalised online poker in Australia remains alive, the recommendations of the committee effectively put the issue on hold pending the implementation of the National Consumer Protection Framework for online and telephone wagering.
The committee’s reports and recommendations can be accessed here in full:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/OnlinePoker/Report, but the recommendations are fairly brief and read as follows:
Recommendation 1
The committee commends the Australian Government’s efforts to implement strong consumer protection measures, and harm minimisation strategies [and] recommends that any future consideration of the legalisation of online poker should only occur following the complete implementation of the National Consumer Protection Framework.
Recommendation 2
The committee recommends that the Department of Social Services support research into the impact of regulatory approaches on online poker, including the relative benefits and harms associated with prohibition and legalisation.
The Senate investigation under the auspices of the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee has largely discharged its June 2017 brief, which was to inquire into and report on:
* The participation of Australians in online poker;
* The nature and extent of any personal or social harms and benefits arising from participating in online poker; and
* Whether the current regulatory approach, in particular, the recently amended Interactive Gambling Act 2001, is a reasonable and proportionate response to those harms and benefits.
The committee considered 266 submissions, which are listed in its report, along with 29 short statements which it received as correspondence.
Public hearings were held in Sydney on 1 August 2017 and in Canberra on 17 August 2017, with the lists of witnesses recorded in the report..