Australian Love of Pokies Sparks National Controversy

Australians love to gamble just as the British. This is one of the many common heritage links. Both like sports betting. Same with arcade games. However, online poker sites in Australia are the diamond of the Aussie gambling industry.

In ways similar to Britain, the Australian gambling laws permit most forms of gambling. When walking to a pub in Australia or Britain, a new visitor will notice many machines, where playing for money is possible. These are frequent fixtures and many complain it leads to gambling problems.

When anti-gambling advocates attempted to influence legislation, and seek to make it harder to make these machines available, while at the same time attacking the poker machines or "pokies", a strong opposition has arisen. Clubs Australia started a major multi-million campaign to fight restrictions.

At the same time, many poker clubs became hysterical about the reforms. This has led the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, to state that any reform will be based on evidence, not purely on counter-arguments of anti-poker minority.

Even legislation that would seek to eliminate the machines from pubs, may not fully succeed as there are multiple mobile casinos in Australia where players can gamble while enjoying a beer at a local pub.

Nothing will stop a player from playing. And the fact that online casinos also run poker tournaments, only encourages Australians to visit them. Some sites even offer comprehensive betting opportunities, combining poker tournaments, casinos, sports betting, as well as mobile versions, into one platform.