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The Participation of Australians in Online Poker the Nature and Extent

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The Participation of Australians in Online Poker the Nature and Extent The participation of Australians in online poker I am a “Business Technical Analyst” which means I develop applications and make modifications on proprietary ERP systems for business, and 44 years old. I have been playing poker online for 13 years. Poker for me is an intellectual challenge and it stimulates in a way different to my other interests which include following rugby union and cricket, listening to a variety of music both live and recorded, video games and watching movies and shows on television. Many of my friends from my cricket club have also played online poker at one time or another. In my experience poker players in general tend to be almost exclusively men (which is a real shame as there is no reason for this except cultural, I think) of any age, background or job description. The nature and extent of any personal or social harms and benefits arising from participating in online poker Like any form of gambling the potential for abuse and related negative consequences is there. At the poker sites I have played at (Poker Stars, Party Poker, Full Tilt) they all have optional deposit limits for their customers which I know a friend of mine uses so that he doesn’t get caught up in the rush of poker and spend too much on the game. As for myself, I have never required the use of deposit limits because I play at micro stakes. If I should lose $5 in a four-hour poker session I must have had some especially poor luck! The playing of poker goes beyond merely gambling though, and it’s this aspect of the game that I enjoy. The real money at risk is what makes the game exciting, but when not actually playing the game I spend a good amount of time studying it. There are many internet forums (e.g. 2+2), training sites (e.g. pokerschoolonline.com), and free applications (e.g. Poker Pro Tools) which can be used to analyse the game and the way you may have played a hand to learn and get better at the game. I first learned about online poker while watching the World Series of Poker in 2003 on TV. In that year an amateur player won the biggest tournament in Las Vegas and that led to what is known as the “poker boom”. I was part of that boom. In 2003 or 4 I deposited 300 AUD into a poker site and have never needed to deposit again. I also have never withdrawn money from any poker site. To me poker is the cheapest form of entertainment that I have. It’s cheaper than my Melbourne Rebels membership. Cheaper than my Ashes ticket, cheaper than my video games and music that I purchase and gigs I go to. It’s also cheaper than going to the casino to play poker where the risks are for many hundreds of dollars over a session rather than a few gold coins. Whether the current regulatory approach, in particular, the recently amended Interactive Gambling Act 2001, is a reasonable and proportionate response to those harms and benefit 2001 was pre poker boom. Online poker was in its infancy, niche and very primitive. Technology for the safety of users has substantially improved. I understand that identity verification techniques used by the reputable poker sites is cutting edge. Party Poker Gaming are listed on the London Stock exchange and they’re not risking this by being underhanded fly-by-night operators. The health and security of the games is a major contributing factor for customers choosing a place to play poker online. It is a competitive market. I do not understand the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, but it’s implementation has meant that only poker site operators outside Australian jurisdiction have been able to provide Australian players with a place to play. This is nonsensical because it denies the government taxes, denies Australian players legal protection from rogue operators, denies Australian business the opportunity for a slice in the market. The fly-by-night operators exist now primarily for the USA market where online gambling is illegal and determined players have found other means to play poker online despite the significant risk. I think the same is at risk for Australians should online poker become illegal here and the trusted operators take their product away from us. The problem gamblers I have known are problem gamblers first – then they choose a way to gamble. Making online poker illegal will be of little benefit to problem gamblers who will gamble elsewhere and hurt casual players like me. To help problem gamblers, and to accommodate casual players, I would suggest changing the Interactive Gambling Act so that online poker is brought into the auspices of Australian regulatory guidelines where protections such as self-exclusion, deposit limits and other responsible gambling tools can be mandated the same as they exist for online sports betting now..
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