It appears the last-ditch effort of Australians to fight for legal online poker has fallen short.
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The Australian Senate passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 on Wednesday, effectively fencing the country in from regulated operators of online poker. The bill was initially meant to close off loopholes that allowed in play sports betting but also has the side effect of making it impossible for regulated online poker to be offered.
The passage comes on the heels of a final push from online poker players and advocates, led by the Australian Online Poker Alliance and Australian Sen. David Leyonhjelm.
After the bill's initial movement late in 2016, things looked grim for online poker Down Under. However, the AOPA formed in response to the bill and Leyonhjelm took up the cause, initiating an inquiry to highlight what he and others saw as a foolish and hypocritical law.
Poker players responded and the group presented their case before at an Aug. 1 hearing. Joseph Del Duca of the AOPA said the support was all he could have hoped for.
Will Online Poker Come Back To Australia 2017
'The Australian poker community should be very proud of how they have held themselves through the campaign,' he said. 'We have rallied together as a strong community. The inquiry has received so many submissions from people who want to save our game that they haven't been able to keep up with the work load.'
The band also recruited a pair of expert witnesses who pushed the idea of regulation rather than prohibition. Dr. Sally Gainsbury, a university professor, pointed out that black market sides exist that will swoop into the vacuum in the market and cater to Australians.
'A lot of people will continue to play, and they will be forced to use sites that potentially have fewer consumer protection mechanisms and be exposed to risks related to developing gambling problems, as well as potentially being cheated or losing their funds,' she said.
Longtime Australian online poker player Oliver Gill, a key voice in the AOPA, also called into the meeting to voice his support for a regulated market.
'Prohibition has been tried in other countries with disastrous results, including the creation of black markets, with millions of dollars being stolen from players by illegal online poker operators like Lock Poker with no recourse for players who have been cheated or stolen from,' he said. 'I do not believe it's in any party's best interest to subject Australian online poker players to the reality of black markets, if the online poker industry is banned in Australia.'
In opposition, representatives of the Salvation Army voiced concerns about expansion of gambling in Australia. They argued the ease of access to online poker via credit cards and PayPal as 'the preferred method' of gambling made it a haven for problem gamblers.
A number of highly placed government workers also took the stand. In their interview, they admitted that online poker was a different beast from other forms of internet gambling.
'That would still be the department's view, that if any of the games under the IGA were allowed it probably would be online poker,' said Andrew Verdon, assistant director of online gambling in the Department of Communications and the Arts.
'We do acknowledge that online poker is a mix of skill and chance. There is a lot of skill involved, but there is still that chance element. But it would not be in the same area as roulette and slot machines, which is pure chance.'
However, the efforts of the pro-poker community appear to have done nothing to slow the guillotine from dropping. It took a merely a little over a week for the Australian Senate to come to a decision, and the decision means regulated online poker is likely finished in Australia. That means the 130,000 or so who play online Down Under face the undesirable choice between hanging up their mouse and keyboard or hopping into the murky waters that are home to black market operators.
While things are looking more grim than ever before for Australian poker players, Del Duca urged players and supporter to keep up the fight.
'Whilst it was unfortunate that the government did not wait for the Senate Inquiry findings to come through, we urge Australian poker players to not give up hope,' he said. 'Our game is not dead and we will continue to campaign for safe, legal online poker when the Senate Inquiry is handed down.
'Our call for a safe, regulated online poker market in Australia is still the only option that provides freedom for players, revenue for the government and protection for those in need.'
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The legality of online poker in Australia remains in a state of flux following passage of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill in 2017, a law that was intended by the Australian Parliament to tighten up some of the vagueness of the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act.
Last year's bill forced the industry's major online poker operators such as PokerStars to stop accepting players who reside in Australia. However, much like the situation in the US, there remain a number of options for Aussie poker players who choose to play poker from the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
Many Australians may be wondering about the possibility of being prosecuted should they choose to continue playing online despite the 2017 legislation.
Lobbying Continues
It's also somewhat comforting to know that passage of that bill last year did not close the book on the matter. The Australian Online Poker Alliance (AOPA) and Sen. David Leyonhjelm worked overtime on behalf of online poker players both before and after the Amendment took effect, resulting in the government agreeing to consider reforms that may allow for regulation of online poker.
If and when regulation comes into play remains undetermined. However, in the meantime, Australian online poker players certainly don't want to be denied playing the game that they love.
Will Online Poker Come Back To Australia Youtube
The Hachem Effect
It's worth noting that online poker players in Australia began flocking to the virtual felt in 2005 after their native son, Joe Hachem, won the WSOP Main Event. The publicity surrounding one of their own becoming a poker champion and winning $7.5 million resulted in a 'poker boom' in the Land Down Under, very similar to that which occurred in 2003 in the US when Chris Moneymaker rode a PokerStars satellite event to glory - also in the WSOP Main Event.
The next decade or so saw online poker flourish unabated in the country until 2017. The Australian market for poker is quite lucrative, which should come as no surprise considering that Aussies love to gamble and have the distinction of spending more per capita via gambling than any other country in the world.
While the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill may have put a damper on the country's status as gambling lovers, it certainly didn't wipe it out completely.
Juicy Stakes
One poker site that caters to the Australian market is Juicy Stakes Poker on the Horizon Network. In fact, Juicy Stakes is so keen on servicing Australian poker players that it is currently offering a promotion specific to Aussies.
In honor of Australia Day on January 26, which is the country's official National Day, Juicy Stakes is hosting an Australia Day $500 GTD tournament. A buy-in of $5.50 is certainly affordable for any and all Australians who would like to commemorate the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the first ships landing at New South Wales and the corresponding raising of the flag by Governor Arthur Phillip.
In addition to the Australia Day tournament, first-time depositors will receive a generous 200% up to $1,000 deposit bonus. Players who sign up through PokerVIP will also collect 36% automatic rakeback, a percentage that comes in handy as a real bankroll booster for those who log on and play often.
While player traffic at Juicy Stakes doesn't compare to the likes of PokerStars, the value available in overlays and soft action on the tables more than make up for it. Add to that the speedy timeframe in receiving cashouts and you have a poker site that many Australians call home - with many more welcome to check it out and do the same.