The studies have shown that problem gamblers are overwhelmingly live Casino, TAB, Poker Machine Players, whether they are created by the environment or drawn to the environment is debatable.

Online Poker by far has the least chance of a person developing a problem.

Online Blackjack and other casino games are also 9 times less likely to create a problem gambler than the counterparts found in a casino.

the wagered amount online also tends to be on average smaller, a person will punt $1000 at the casino but may stake only $200 online or less.

it appears obvious that harm minimization is best and not prohibition.

online gambling reduces the harm in more cases than not by reducing the stake and reducing the appeal of the gambling, there is also no flashing lights, no alcohol, no perfumed heavy oxygen air, you can walk away from a win online without walking past 100 blackjack tables before you make it to the exit.

What studies?

Fairly sure this is just for Victorian racing only although Sydney metro have the same rule for Saturday's racing

As pies said, would be very interested in seeing these studies because the ones I've seen suggest the exact opposite and interactive gamblers are more likely to be problem gamblers than non-interactive gamblers.

The last paragraph is bizarre - alcohol only plays a factor if the person chooses it to. You can be sober at the casino, you can be as drunk as you like gambling online. And there is no exit from online gambling, you always have your phone with you. And ads targeting online gambling are prevalent on TV, online, billboards etc. Whereas casino advertising isn't seen nearly as often due to lack of competition.

Doug and Joey address the issue of online poker for Australians in there latest video. Starts at 18:00 if you're interested.

No one seems to understand that online poker is only going to be collateral damage here and is not the intended target of the new legislation.

the target is sportsbooks.

poker is collateral damage, online poker would represent like 1% of the "online gambling" money.

It amazes me that anyone pays attention to the Problem Gambling rate online compared to established outlets. I'll use UK figures as I know them better (and the research is less fragmented) but essentially it is about early adopters and the small self selecting sample.

If 70% bet in any 4 weeks, 40% if you exclude lottery and 16% bet online it is a certainty that the PG rate as a % is lower for the including the lottery group than the excluding lottery group as the least engaged gamblers are not in it but all the problem gamblers are. Again when you go to the smaller online group the most engaged gamblers adopted it early and useit most - that includes a disproportionate share of Problem Gamblers, likely nearly all of them.

The leading predictor for problem gambling is not that they bet online or in a pub or in a casino...it is that they bet in many many ways, as an engaged gambler they use many many products....so of course the smaller online pool will be higher in terms of PG rate, it is a meaningless and entirely predictable factoid the smaller the participating group the higher the problem gambling rate.

In the UK that is spread betting, on track dog racing and poker played in a pub or club. It's not that poker in a pub or club is high risk, it is that it is something problem gamblers are far more likely to do than the general population.

Yeah, this may have been my bad, I gave doug some cliffs (specifically about how the legislation affects the poker side of things). No in depth details about the sportsbooks or in play betting etc. I guess, for most, only the poker part is going to be relevant.

Yes the target is sportsbooks in terms of in play betting - which now makes up 75% of the UK market, they want the monopoly for that to be in the taxed retail outlets.

Online oker though clearly was one of the targets of the IGA and the enforcement measures vs all offshore gambling deliberately target poker too. The antis may not put it front and centre but they want it shut down all right.

The irony of course is that it was the licenced regulated firms using click to talk to compete with illegal offshore books with in play betting that has pushed the government in to hurried action that ignores their own advice received on poker.

The coalition is outright anti gambling groups and the variously monopolistic but legal suppliers working with them to squeeze out competition. All the legal against the illegal offshore, the retail outlets also against the legal online firms and seeking a terminal based monopoly of in play (75%). Poker is a victim of that monstrous coalition.

Meanwhile the real help, proper regulation of all sites with consumer safeguards is left undone as this proposal will leave a substantial illegal off shore share of gambling revenues with the best offshore firms opting out of the market and leaving it to the worst.

Very good point Richas re: problem gambling rate

It looks like its been delayed 3 months, afaik.

Doug makes an interesting point.

who here would move overseas to continue playing?

I agree with this but it's still means that problem online gambling is an issue and it should be dealt with. Unfortunately the distinction between all the -ev Casino games vs poker wasn't deemed to be part of this review. As I said above, that seems like a complete bull **** cop-out but assuming Labor support this, we are done.

Does this license problem apply to every single poker site, I talked to a few regs who said partypoker would be fine, but they didn't elaborate on how...

All with a UK licence, which includes Party.

Which sites does not have a UK license? 888?

Basically all of them are licensed in the UK. The UK is perhaps the largest igaming market in the world.

hmmm can we then start listing sites that would still survive. I think this is of the utmost importance.

American Card Room?

Natural8?

Some weird a** euro site that use bitcoins?

Seriously, just don't. Any site choosing to duck UK regulation is just too shady to deposit with- end of. The risks on all levels playing there are huge.

Just have a home game, just spend 3 years lobbying your government but don't touch the criminal firms willing to defy the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act post this extra enforcement (TBH I remain shocked that they get away with it today but as Stars says 2% which is under the 3% the UK Gambling Commission demand legal justification for automatically it is explicable by the UKGC not wanting to usurp national governments like Aus so pitching their reporting req to allow the status quo.

What's wrong with American Card Room? Isn't it a legit site? Doug Polk plays on it on his stream often.

WPN is good enough but dont be surprised if it busts like lock poker just gotta proceed with caution and manage your risk

I find it bizarre that the government can say with a straight face that these laws are to be implemented in order to help "stop problem gambling".

Meanwhile, 8th in the world on gambling machines per capita whilst not even being known for gambling or being a tourist destination for gambling in particular (Monaco/Macau etc).

The amount of old age pensioners punting there super / pension off in the pubs/RSLs over here is a ****ing disgrace, yet they target online gambling whilst doing nothing about live gambling (specifically pokie machines), which I'd hazard a guess is where 90% of problem gamblers are actually losing the most.

Theres probably 10 or less casinos in the whole country yet the local pub where I live (small suburb south of brisbane) has a flashing sign out the front advertising "OVER 180 POKIE MACHINES HERE" and the pokie room is open till 3am whilst the pub closes at 10pm. I mean come on it's absolutely insane to believe that over regulating online gambling is going to have near any effect on problem gamblers when you have **** like that going on all over the country.

Truly unbelievable.

Where are your sources?

Way normal. No politician slaughters the cow he milks.
Instead, an alibi project is being sought to prove to the electorate that something is done against evil; it may still be absurd.

This is all so mendacious that I could puke. This is not just the case in Australia, but a worldwide phenomenon.

As an Australian, is there anything I can do to help prevent an explicit ban on online poker?

I wrote to my local MP, but of course no reply.