The Australian Senate’s rejection this week of Sen. David Leyonhjelm’s bill seeking to exempt online poker from the more restrictive Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 (see previous reports) has not dimmed the determination of the Australian Online Poker Alliance to carry on fighting for online poker Downunder.
The Alliance says it managed to motivate hundreds of Aussie poker lovers to contact their political representatives and generate information and interest in the cause, and that it intends to continue campaigning for fair treatment for online poker by the political establishment.
AOPA spokesman Joseph Del Duca put it this way: “We may have lost the battle, but we will win the war,” noting that senators from four different political parties were supportive of the failed Leyonhjelm proposal.
Sen. Leyonhjelm has himself proved to be a persuasive orator on behalf of the online poker vertical, telling senators during the debate on his bill that Australia has a thriving poker culture that includes dedicated live poker rooms running major international live poker tournaments, and that throughout Australia there are hundreds of home and pub games featuring poker going on all the time.
He argued that it is nonsensical to ban online poker in isolation against such a backdrop.
“We’re saying, ‘You’re not allowed to do that online, you’re only allowed to do that face-to-face,'” the senator said. “It’s a little bit like saying, ‘you’re allowed to talk to each other by telephone, but you’re not allowed to talk to each other by FaceTime, because FaceTime goes via a server in another country.’
“We’re saying one kind of playing poker is OK, but another kind of playing poker is not OK, simply because it’s online. I mean, seriously, this is the 21st century — almost everything is online these days.”
A growing number of commentators on the Aussie gambling scene are pointing out that regulation and control are the preferred and more effective vehicles for consumer protection, rather than bans and blacklists which determined players will always find a way to circumvent, albeit with probably more risky operators.
Whether the government accepts this argument is another matter, however, and for now at least online poker is experiencing a losing hand in parliament.
Senator Leyonhjelm has suggested that there may be grounds for a committee enquiry on the online poker issue, depending on how much public support can be generated.
The idea has appealed to Del Duca of the Australian Online Poker Alliance, who has urged Australian poker fans to support such a challenge by showing unified support for regulated online poker. The AOPA website will keep supporters briefed on developments and on what action is necessary.
“The main thing the Australian and global poker community can do now is stay positive and keep making noise,” Del Duca said Friday. “This is not the end. This is just the beginning of a fight we can and will win. Stay connected with our page and keep in touch to find out how you can help in this fight!”