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According to the report, estimates suggest that up to 2200 onlinegambling providers currently offering services to Australians maybe in contravention of the Act. In addition, estimates suggest that Australian gamblers are losingas much as $1 billion per annum to overseas-based online gamblingservice providers. In response to this, and the growth in the number of Australiansaccessing overseas-based services, the report recommends thegovernment encourages overseas providers to become licenced inAustralia. In exchange for increased legitimacy, the services wouldneed to conform to a set of harm minimisation measures and limitservices to lower risk gambling forms such as tournament poker. The stick to accompany the report s carrots would be that serviceproviders who do not conform to these measures would be prohibitedunder the Act. Law enforcement and prevention measures againstillegal providers would also be increased. Under the recommendations, the Australian Communications and MediaAuthority (ACMA) should be the body responsible for administeringcivil penalties for the provision of prohibited gambling serviceshosted in Australia. If civil penalties and takedown notices prove ineffective forservices in contravention of the updated Act, then the ACMA wouldrefer the service provider to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).The AFP would be able to place the names of principals anddirectors of prohibited online gambling service providers onto aMovement Alert List, as well as refer these names to relevantstate/territory authorities and the Australian Securities andInvestments Commission (ASIC). However, the report acknowledges there is little to be done foroverseas-based operators who chose not to become licences inAustralia, stating that the government must recognise the limitsof enforcement action against overseas-based companies, many ofwhich operate out of countries which actively seek to attract suchcompanies and provide them with legal protection. In light of this, the report recommends co-opting the financialsector to effectively police offshore gambling through the creationof safe-harbour allowances for financial institutions thatchoose to voluntarily block financial transactions betweenAustralian consumers and unlicensed online gambling serviceproviders. In conjunction with this, the report recommends that the Departmentof Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) andTreasury should, ...continue to monitor developments overseas inthe use of financial payment blocking to prohibited gambling sitesand draw relevant developments to the attention of Australianfinancial industry bodies. The review follows the 2010 Productivity Commission s 2010 Gambling report which found online gaming and wagering had exhibited strong growthover the last 10 years and that the Australian ban on accessingonline gaming had decreased traction over time. While the risks associated with online gambling are likely to beoverstated, the relatively high prevalence of problem gamblers isstill a cause for concern, the Gambling report reads. At thevery least, it indicates that the internet is very attractive tothis group and, though the evidence is weak, gambling online mayexacerbate already hazardous behaviour. A key recommendation of the Report is that the AustralianGovernment, in consultation with state and territory governments,should amend the Interactive Gambling Act to permit the supply ofonline poker card games. In November, Australian online betting companies called for the relaxation of online gambling laws , claiming the regulations restrict them from competing withoffshore companies. Also during November, the Internet Industry Association (IIA)cautioned against placing the onus of protecting problem gamblers on internet service providers,instead arguing that problem gambling must be managed at the pointof service access. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Mild Steel Wire , China Copper Beading Wire for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Bead Stringing Wire.
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