Approval of in-play betting?
It has been reported this week that in-play betting in Australia may soon be approved thanks to the government review which follows last year’s recommendations by the Productivity Committee. These included legalization of online gambling in general (instead of just for sports) in the whole country, but this proposal was denied by the Labor government.
In regards to the present review of Australia’s online gambling laws, it has been assigned to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, and the main focus is expected to fall on in-play betting.
According to the recent anti-corruption report passed by major sports reps, ''Australia is the only jurisdiction in the world that allows online wagering on sport but at the same time prevents punters from using the internet to place in-play bets.''
''The prohibition on in-play betting limits the funding opportunities available to Australia's sports. On international soccer markets …about 75 percent of bets are made in-play, while for tennis about 90 percent.''
Another comment arrived from a spokesman for Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, who said that Australia's interactive gambling laws had not been reviewed since 2005, adding: ''Given this and the rapid changes in technology, the government felt it was time for a comprehensive look at the effectiveness of the legislation.''
