It is common knowledge that in the age of instant access to the internet via tablets, computers and phones that it has never been easier to play online games.  Many young people do spend an inordinate amount of time playing games.  Of those 13 to 17 year olds taking part in the study it was estimated that up to 25% of them had enjoyed gambling type video games.  One in ten are said to have used social media sites, such as Facebook, to play games, whilst one in twenty had used their mobile phones.  Worryingly, a small number had attempted to gamble with real money on the internet, in spite of strict regulations being in place to prevent young people under 18 from using real money sites.

There is undoubtedly an association between gaming and gambling for money, and the study suggested that young people using gaming sites may be 3 times more likely to go on to gamble for money, probably on the internet.

As things stand at the moment, free gaming sites are not realistic in terms of how easy it is to lose money.  Perhaps if it were made more apparent that if the user had been playing for real money they might have lost a great deal of money.  Young people certainly need to be aware of the perils of gambling that gets out of hand.

There is plenty of scare mongering around as far as the dangers of gambling as concerned, and we really don’t want to encourage young people to get into online gambling before they are mature enough to deal with the dangers, but statistically most people who gamble do so responsibly and do so for fun.  Some make it their profession, but these people gamble often but cautiously, after all it is their ‘job’.

The gamblers who get into trouble often have an obsessive personality, and would have got into trouble regardless of whether it was possible to gamble online or not.  After all most problem gamblers are associated with pokie machines, and not the internet.  Pokies have been around a lot longer than the internet, and there is no definitive study pointing to a general increase in problem gamblers since the advent of the internet.

Australia continues to struggle with how best to regulate the industry, while many other countries have forged ahead with good legislation, that has led to an increase in tax revenue, but not to an increase in addictive gamblers.

The review did nothing to relax regulations for the millions of Aussies who enjoy online gambling, so that any casino type games have to be played on overseas sites, which are easily accessible via computers, tablets and phones.

Many who are in favour of the relaxation of online gambling laws were very disappointed that the review reversed the decision to give online poker a trial in the country, particularly as poker is generally regarded as a game of skill rather than a gambling game.

Now a member of the IGA reform committee has managed to download an Apple app, PokerStars, which would have allowed him to play online casino games for real money.  This he states is against Australian law and therefore should be stopped by Apple.

The irony is that online sports betting continues to grow and flourish, and it seems somewhat shortsighted of the committee not to address the future of online casino games more fully. There seems to be a real reluctance to more forward.  If they were to be regulated then there would be much more control over the sites and there would also be money raised from taxing the online casinos.  This, in turn, could be used to help those who do have gambling problems.

The online casinos we offer on this site, are, of course, overseas sites, but they are regulated and well run.  They have all been in operation for a number years and are well respected.  Although they cater for many different nationalities, they offer the chance of deposit Aussie dollars and winnings will be paid in Aussie dollars too.

The government has been accused of “copping out”, by bookmakers and gambling critics alike.  It is estimated that probably more than $1billion is spent by Australians each year on overseas based online gambling sites, and this is a figure that is likely to keep on growing.

The online gambling review recommended that there be a national standard for tackling the estimated harm caused by online gambling, and the states have been asked to start talks on the subject.  However, long time critic of harmful gambling, Nick Xenophon, is worried that a national standard is not sufficient and legislation should be the way forward.  He is worried that states could be slow to decide on the future of online gambling, thus making a mockery of the report.

It is hoped that a national standard would force players to set a limit on deposits, but online bookmakers would much rather see a regulated Australian online gambling industry.  There is no evidence that online gambling has increased the number of problem gamblers, however, there are many who would disagree with these views.

The Sportsbet chief executive Cormac Barry feels that the way forward is, “The best reform package is one that protects our one million plus Australian punters by allowing them to bet with regulated Australian companies rather than forcing them offshore, into the hands of unregulated foreign websites.”

He would, of course, feel this way because any business that goes overseas is business lost for his company and others like it.  While it would certainly be best if the Australian market was properly regulated and legislated, there are many very reputable off shore online gambling sites, and Australians are savvy enough to know which ones are safe and which are not.  It seems that no real progress has been made in the many years I have been doing this blog.

Players will be awarded this bonus when they make an initial deposit of $3,200 or more.

This bonus illustrates the commitment of the online casino to be a safe and reliable place to game.  Customer deposits  are 100% safe and secure, and can be made in a variety of ways including bank transfers and major credit cards.

Players must install the free software, create a real money account and make their first deposit.  The welcome bonus must be claimed otherwise it will be lost!

To become accustomed to the site there is plenty of opportunity to play the games in free practice mode.  This is an excellent chance to get used to the software before making a cash commitment.

Casino.com offers a huge variety of online casino games which include slots, craps and blackjack.

The casino is user friendly, providing online chats, excellent 24 hour customer service and great up to the minute technology to make sure players have a great online experience.

There is no restriction on the age of users, but credit must be purchased in order to play the games.  Credit can then be increased or decreased depending on the luck of the game.  No actual money can be won, and this is the problem as far as critics are concerned.  Lack of prize money means that the games are not covered by the Australian interactive gambling laws.

Dr Charles Livingstone, gambling researcher at Monash University, says that games like these are deliberately grooming children, and this may result in them becoming addicted to gambling when they are older.

Most people would agree that anything that could encourage children to become gamblers is undesirable.  Dr Livingstone says, “It is hard for governments to act when these things emerge but I do think that it an important priority that they act to ensure that young people do not have access to games which mimic existing gambling opportunities, and which have potential to create a whole new generation of gambling dependent young folk.”

Anti-gambling politician, Nick Xenophone, hopes to introduce a bill that would hopefully see the end of these particular sort of games, by having them reclassified.

The virtual poker app in question was the highest grossing phone app in 2012!

Surprisingly, America is still at the top of the league as far as gambling is concerned.  However, Macau has now overtaken Vegas as the biggest land-based gambling venue.  It would seem to make sense for the US government to get to grips with the problem of whether or not to relax the laws on online gambling, thus enabling them to take a bigger cut of the billions of dollars circulating in the online gambling market.  At least there is more of a chance of this happening since Obama was re-elected, but there are probably bigger problems to solve first.  New Jersey will soon join with Nevada in having an online casino licence, but last year only about 3% of America gambling revenue was interactive.

Britain, in contrast, made about 21% of their gambling revenue from online gambling sources in 2012.  The most popular game was roulette, with men being the most prolific players by 5/1.

Online gambling is becoming very popular in Scandinavian countries.  Their total population is nearly 21 million, but they generated $8.5 billion from gambling last year, and over 30% of that was online.

In both South Korea and China, where online gambling sites are banned, they still manage to be some of the world’s largest gamblers!  The official gambling revenue raised in China was $50 billion, but who knows what the unlicensed online market generates.

Australia doesn’t come out well as far as gambling is concerned.  If every adult gambled, each would lose about $1300 a year.  This being the average for the population, it stands to reason that many Aussies are losing a lot more than that.  Most of this money went through land-based slots and online slots.

There can be no doubt that 2013 will see many more people seeking to gamble from the comfort of their own homes.

It would be unusual to find an online gambling site that is not offering great giveaways in the form of cash bonuses and luxury prizes.  One casino is offering over 500 free spins on some of their most popular slot games.  Another is randomly giving away money each day to players visiting and playing on their site.  If you fancy a luxury cruise, this too is on offer.

Microgaming, which powers all our featured online casinos, has included a Christmas themed slot game called Deck the Halls.  This game is included in their tournament platforms.  So, if you enjoy online tournaments, this game may be one you enjoy, especially over the holiday time.

Deck the Halls features Christmas trees, Santa Claus, log fires, reindeer, turkeys and festive stockings.  Microgamings most popular tournament is Monthly Monster, and this month it began 3 days ago and will run for 11 days.  The guaranteed prize money has been raised to celebrate Christmas, from $25,000 to $30,000, and promises winnings for the top 40 players.

Over at Spin Palace online casino one lucky player has recently won $157,515.83 on a tournament that has just ended.  So, if you’re looking for some fun over Christmas, look no further.  Whether you just want a bit of fun with the minimum stake money, or whether you are an expert willing to wager a larger amount in order to be in with a chance of bigger winnings, enjoy your Christmas holiday with online casinos.

Surprisingly it seems to indicate that that the amount wagered fell by $1.6 billion in just 12 months.  So perhaps the anti-gambling lobby are worrying about nothing?

However, poker machines, as usual, showed the largest amount of money spent on gambling throughout the country, but even this is beginning to fall according to this latest information.

Although traditional forms of gambling seem to be on the decline, it is no surprise to see that online gambling continues to grow.  Many gambling companies have adapted to this rise in popularity of online gambling by expanding their business to include sports and lottery gambling by computer, tablet and smart phones. However, Australia is losing out by not regulating online gambling to include online casinos.  Huge amounts of money are leaving the country because Aussies enjoy online casino games, but can only access the ones that are located overseas.

Christmas usually sees an increase in people playing online casino games, money spent and money won increases.  Online games are becoming easier and easier to access.  People have more time on their hands and discovering new games, particularly online slots, becomes a great holiday pastime.

An amount approaching $1 million was won on the progressive jackpot by a player, unfortunately not Australian, in Europe.

The Dark Knight is a Microgaming powered slot and is available on our featured online casinos.  Unlike other jackpot operators, who stagger payouts of winnings, the Microgaming Progressive Jackpot is paid out in a single cash payout.

Every player who enjoys online slots dreams of winning a progressive jackpot, which has shown by this latest impressive win, can mount up quickly to record amounts of money.

The Dark Knight was only launched this year.  It offers players the opportunity to win one of four progressive jackpots which are triggered by a bonus wheel feature.  This particular winner managed to hit the biggest of the four jackpots.

There have also been some big wins at Spin Palace online casino, this time on games based on roulette.  Both wins were on the Multi Wheel European Roulette Gold.  Players are able to use up to eight wheels at the same time, which come to a stop one after another, so the player can easily see how any wins are mounting up.

Although not so large, a player at Spin Palace also won a substantial amount of money on the popular Immortal Romance online slot.  Slots remain by far the most popular games online, but games like roulette and bingo can also notch up some impressive wins too.

Aristocrat Leisure, which is an Australian supplier of casino games, has realized that land based casinos should be capitalising on the online casino market by exposing their brands to players who enjoy online games.

nLive(TM) offers casinos that are located on land the chance give their players an opportunity to try various gaming experiences, including slots, online.  These virtual casinos allow the players to have fun trying out the games online, without any money being wagered or won.

Land based casinos will be hoping for two things by using this new technology, firstly to build up loyalty to their casinos and secondly in the hope that one day they will be able to offer the games online where money can be wagered and won, and then they will already have a customer base that will prove useful.  It may, however, be quite some time before this will happen in Australia!  In America land based casinos have been tackling this problem for some time now, with some States beginning to recognise that allowing regulated online gambling in-State will provide them with welcome revenue.

The increase in online gambling is proving to be difficult for casinos based on land, and they have had to find new ways of generating lost revenue.  Providing online games played for fun and not cash is one way in which they are addressing the issue.