Players fight to preserve Online poker in Australia
The recently formed Australian Online Poker Alliance has launched a petition online to draw attention to the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill which could potentially end online poker in Australia.
This is what is currently happening in the country that pushed players to act:
- Minister of Human Services Alan Trudge says 2.7% of online gamblers are problem gamblers as compared to .9% of all gamblers in general.
- To solve the issue of problem gamblers, the Interactive Gambling Bill of 2001, considered to be outdated providing operators with numerous loopholes, will be amended creating the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill.
- This amended bill bans all offshore operators without a local license from offering their services to Australian citizens
- Online poker in Australia, normally offered by offshore operators, has always remained in the gray area of the law
- Although the bill originally targets online sports betting, the general wording of the law will automatically include the banning of offshore operated poker sites.
Poker players in Australia have long lobbied that online poker be legalized in the country. This time, with the threat looming over their heads, all they are fighting for is a re-wording or an addendum to exclude poker sites from the bill.
You can support this initiative by signing a petition on www.change.org
Keep online poker in Australia (www.change.org)
Christine Hia and Joel Dodds Interviewed by the Star
The recently ended WSOP Sydney, held at The Star, was a huge success attracting an impressive amount of players. Of the multitude of participants, The Star decided to interview the 2 biggest winners of the event:
Christine Hia
Malaysian poker player Christine Hia won 2 WSOP rings in the duration of the festival. These victories gave her the chance to surpass all in the Casino Championship points race. By garnering all those points, Hia has been awarded an entry to the US$10,000 Global Casino Championship in the US next year.
Interview: Q&A with Christine Hia, The Star Sydney Casino Champion
Joel Dodds
Joel Dodds triumphed over a field of 1,097 entries to win a WSOP ring at the WSOP Sydney Main Event. This was definitely a great accomplishment for a retired poker pro who couldn’t resist the lure of winning a WSOP ring and of besting a field of more than 1,000 player.
Interview: Up close and personal, with Joel Dodds
By Gabrielle Ruiz-Barredo
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
Follow Me:
