1. The participation of Australians in online poker
My name is Brent. I am 26 years old and a recreational poker player. Poker is a hobby and a passion for me. I have been an admirer of poker since I was a child, and growing up I eagerly watched broadcasts of World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker events on Foxtel. I have played the game in some casual capacity ever since, usually as a social activity with friends. As I passed the age of 18 and the possibility emerged of playing seriously, I became a student of the game. Since then, I have spent countless hours studying strategy, watching professionals play and playing in micro and low stakes games online. Living in regional Australia at the time, online poker was really the only way to engage in the competitive form of the game.
I have introduced a number of my friends to the game, and through this have managed to join some of them to their own lifelong passion and love for poker. None of this would be possible without online poker. The online form of the game permits players to avoid the stress and pressure of a casino environment, allows players to play for whatever stakes they feel comfortable (the lowest online stakes cost $1 or less to play compared to a minimum of $100 - $200 in most casinos), and allows players to experiment with strategy in an environment that lacks the confrontational experience of live casino poker. The barrier of entry to poker is far too high in live casino poker, and the overwhelming majority of poker players cut their teeth in an online environment.
More broadly, Australians have a large and visible presence when it comes to online poker. I have met hundreds of fellow Australians on strategy forums, fan communities and playing at the virtual tables. Australia has produced champion professional players, masters of strategy and leading minds in the poker world. Many of these Australians could not have found their path without starting out playing online poker.
2. The nature and extent of any personal or social harms and benefits arising from participating in online poker
I have found modest success in the game of poker in terms of financial reward. However, I believe winnings are irrelevant to my enjoyment of the game. The true value of my passion for poker is as a source of personal development and growth. Poker has taught me patience, perseverance and the value of hard work. Poker has taught me more about the intricacies of probability and social dynamics than I could have ever hoped to have learned otherwise. My ability as a poker player is a source of personal pride, even though I am not the best at the game. I feel pride because I have built my abilities over many years of hard work and at and away from the online tables. I have met a number of people I consider dear friends through the online poker community, people from around the globe. They have helped me to become a better player and a better person. Online poker has had such a profound effect on my life that I can not imagine what I would be if I had never tapped this rich vein of personal development.
Today, I live in metropolitan Queensland. Live casino poker is available to me, with two live poker rooms within easy traveling distance. If online poker is indeed prohibited, the casino will be the only way I can legally engage with my lifelong hobby and passion. I do not want to leave the comfort of my home and enter a casino where there are dozens of high-risk games of pure chance surrounding the poker tables, where there is liberal service of alcohol to dull the senses and decision-making ability of the players, and where the casino take a large percentage of the player's funds off the table and into their pockets. I believe it is critically important to consider that prohibiting online poker does not ban poker overall, it just pushes players like myself who love the game into an environment which presents far greater risks and potential for the formation of problematic gambling habits. Regulated online poker is a substantially more protective and safe environment for players.
3. Whether the current regulatory approach, in particular, the recently amended Interactive Gambling Act 2001, is a reasonable and proportionate response to those harms and benefits.
I do not believe from any express or implied statement that online poker was a target of the recent amendment to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. I implore all Committee members, please do not allow online poker to become collateral damage in the attempt to control unruly offshore sports betting operations.
I understand that the Australian government is attempting to curb problem gambling. I appreciate and applaud all efforts to protect vulnerable members of our society from falling into a trap that has victimised too many Australians. There are members of the general public and of parliament who I will never be able to convince no matter how impassioned my words, because they truly believe that any form of gambling should be outlawed or strictly controlled. Some Committee members may share their feelings. To those people I say this: the gambling aspect of the game is almost irrelevant to the enjoyment I and everyone I know derive from poker. My enjoyment comes from my drive and aspiration to continually improve my game, to outwit my opponent, and to demonstrate my mastery of the game in whatever capacity I can. I do not talk on behalf of the professionals or the high stakes geniuses (of which there are many in Australia), but on behalf of the average Australian who plays the game for enjoyment. Enjoyment of the challenge we find in the game, and enjoyment of the strategic depth available to explore. Poker is unique in the gambling world that it affords players the opportunity to utilise skill rather than luck to influence the outcome. Poker without real stakes (i.e. the ability to play for real money) drastically changes the fabric of the game in a detrimental manner. Without the pressure of making decisions with genuine consequences, players are free to make sub-optimal decisions in the hopes of getting lucky and winning the hand. If they lose it is meaningless, as they had no stake in the hand to begin with. This is why it is so important to players that we maintain a regulatory framework that permits real-money online poker.
There is clear global precedent for the establishment of a regulatory framework that would allow industry leaders like Pokerstars and Party Poker to operate in Australia and provide access to a large international player pool. While far sharper minds than mine would need to determine how that may work, I would point to the UK as a shining example of a regulatory framework that permits the growth of poker while maintaining appropriate checks and balances to protect game integrity, secure player funds and protect potential problem gamblers. I thank the Committee for their consideration.
