Online Casino Blog

Australians have always had a love affair with the pokie machine, and it continues to be one of the most popular forms of gambling in the country, along with sports betting and online gambling.

 

In some parts of Australia the pokie machines carry health warnings, like cigarette packets, stating that playing on the machines for long periods of time can cause addiction.

 

One European country seems to enjoy playing the machines as much as Australians.  Apparently Spaniards are amongst Europes most avid gamblers, and it is estimated that they spend an average of $852 per head each year on the pastime.  Only about one half of this money goes on the countries very popular lotteries, with much of the rest going into gambling machines.

 

As a result, one area of Spain, Catalonia, will start a scheme similar to some parts of Australia, and the machines will carry a health warning regarding problem gambling.  In some cases the machine may switch itself off if it is used for too long.  Bars will also be required to advertise a 24 hour help service for addicts.

 

One machine, the "video lottery" will turn itself off after 90 minutes of continual play.  The idea is to make it difficult for the player to continue playing indefinitely, and also to give them time to reflect on the problems continuous play might bring.

 

There is nothing to stop a player from playing similar machines online, and this is a problem that will be almost impossible to overcome.

A recent article posted on the Sydney Morning Herald website, and written by Michael Bachelard and Danielle Teutsch, raises questions regarding a new generation of internet gamblers with potential gambling problems.

 

Online gambling, whether it be sports betting or casino games, such as poker and bingo, is growing at a much faster rate than any other form of gambling.

 

Online sports betting is perfectly legal, but it is estimated that around $1 billion a year is spent by Australians on online casino games.

 

As has been mentioned many times on this site, this is a dilemma for the federal government, because this part of the industry is unregulated, with the money going to offshore companies, who pay no tax.

 

The government is therefore faced with the problem as to how to recoup some of this money.  Next month will see the Productivity Commission report, which is widely expected to recommend the legalisation of some online games.

 

However, there are many anti-gambling advocates, who would strongly oppose this move, saying that a new wave of problem gamblers is on the way.

 

Online poker is the most popular of the online games, and its fans say that it is a game of skill, not chance, unlike other online games, and that it should be treated differently.

 

Senator Nick Xenophon has warned that young people particularly may develop problems with online gambling, and he has a private members bill ready which would ban Australian credit card companies from processing payents to offshore gaming sites.  However, many sites have already overcome this problem by introducing other ways to make payments.