One of the big names in Poker, "Diamond" Joe Hachem, has joined forces to save online gambling following the new bill to amend the Australian IGA (Interactive Gambling Act) of 2001 back in November 2016.
The 2005 World Series of Poker Champion said that if the new online gambling amendment laws come into force, they would make online poker illegal in Australia and just the thought of this is leaving him "sick to his stomach."
The change, which seems to be going into law quite easily, is expected to make it harder for operators outside of Australia to target Australian players. However this amendment will have a huge impact on online poker and other online casino games because such online activities will be totally banned unless the provider holds an Australian gambling licence. This will make it quite tough for online poker providers to adhere to and the only option they will have is to leave the market or else they will be classified as braking the law and penalised.
Joe Hachem's statement to PokerNews this week was, "I feel sick to my stomach, to be honest, The fact that our country allows online sports betting and horse racing so freely, which are both truly gambling, and doesn’t allow online poker is truly embarrassing." He also added that "Of course, regulation is smartest and best answer, Poker players can play confidently on the sites knowing that they are legal and regulated."
You are truly right Mr. Hachem and let's hope that the Australian authorities think the way you are thinking!
To make their voice louder, Aussie Poker players has brought together an alliance called Australian Poker Alliance which will be fighting for the rights of poker fans around.
They have also put up a petition page on change.org to amplify their message called
"Keep Online Poker in Australia!"
"All we are asking is for the Government to amend the Bill to stipulate the exclusion of online poker"
Join forces and sign it here.
