The presence of numerous state-licensed sportsbooks proves that online sports betting is legal in Australia. However, the laws in the different states vary, for example, sign up promotions offered depend on the residence state of the customer and the bookmaker. There are however two laws that do not change regardless of what state you are placing the bets from – those two laws being:Individuals must be 18 years and above to participate in any gambling activity, and a reasonable proof of identity must be submitted to the betting operator.
What Forms of Online Gambling are Legal in Australia?
Further scrutiny of the current online gambling/sports betting law in Australia reveals a Government that seems to embrace sports betting online but frowns upon online casinos and online pokies. The contradictory nature of our ruling body is further bolstered by the ambiguous nature in which the types of legal online gambling are listed.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 lists the types of online gambling that are considered ILLEGAL as well as the LEGAL forms of online gambling – and interestingly enough the inclusion of the word ‘Wagering’ actually leaves this Act open to interpretation since the act of playing real money slots and online pokies is in fact a wager – in fact the very definition of wager further supports this.
The Act governs online interactive gambling services that offer or advertise ‘real money’ to Australian customers (casino, blackjack, roulette and online poker). All online operators that have licensed or own gambling services in Australian are expected to abide by this Act. This does not prevent the average Australian citizen from participating in sports online gambling.
In addition, online Sports betting through licensed operators must occur before the start of the event to meet the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. According to IGA, live ‘in-play’ betting is deemed ‘interactive’, so it remains prohibited. However, Australian residents are not restricted from participating in live ‘in-play’ betting offered by international agencies. This means that one can practice Online Lotteries, but not ‘instant-win’ games.
It stands out that Australian punters can place bets on fixtures in progress through over the phone and through retail outlets with Australian bookmakers. These modified means of in play betting are slow because, by the time, one makes a bet, the event and odds have changed. Live sports betting accounts for 90% of wagers on soccer, cricket, and tennis.in typical cases, bookmarkers ought to offer online sports betting during live events; this lets someone win or lose depending on the odds and events changes.
When compared to Europe, where in play games are very popular, Australian bookmakers a limited chance of getting a lot from a game; what they get is a small share of the cake. This is the reason as to why Australian bookmakers keep broaching the subject of rewrite laws concerning live sports betting on the Internet. They are not convinced about the distinction between betting on the phone and internet.
This might be a mockery of the law or the there is an anomaly in the act that leads to an oversight. This law does not affect the punters but the bookmakers located in each state of Australia. The fact that an Australian citizen can sign up for an international agency account and bet live online make the current legislation seem flawed. This issue occurs when there is bad publicity in regards to NRL and cricket betting scandals. The laws governing live online betting will only change if the cries of the Australian agencies are heard.
Most CEOs of the betting agencies believe that technology has improved and that he Productivity Commission’s draft recommendation does not disagree with live online betting. The freedom of Online Sports Betting in Australia is yet to be established.
