Gambling has been popular in Australia for decades. In fact, the first legal casino in Australia was opened back in 1973. It was the Wrest Point Hotel Casino. However, gambling was widespread long before that. From betting on cricket in mid-90’s to spinning the roulette in a legal Australian online casino in 2019, Australia has a deep gambling history and every game brought something new to people. Let’s learn more about the history of this industry and get a few interesting facts about it.
How did gambling get to Australia?
European settlers who came to the continent also brought lots of traditions including the gambling games. The first ones were probably roulette and blackjack. They got widely played long before they got legalized. Today, people can try their luck in dozens of casinos in different states and territories. It’s interesting enough that each part of the country has its legislation laws for gambling. They concern not only slot machines and betting on sports but also all sorts of card games, roulette, etc.
The most popular gambling activity
An option that is always in high demand is the poker machine or the so-called pokies. You can find it in bars, hotels, etc. They are much like slot machines in Las Vegas. As a rule, people play for small stakes while having a drink with friends.
This is the most contagious form of gambling and it’s very popular. Everyone can visit a licensed bar and put a coin in the slot to try his luck.
The peculiarities of the gambling laws in Australia
When gambling went online, many countries joined the Australian position seeing substantial growth. The modern games include not online pokies, blackjack, roulette, but also offer keno, sports betting, etc. All of that you can now do from the comfort of your phone.
As a result, the country issued several laws to control online gambling games Down Under. First of all, penalties for operators offering their services to Australian gamblers were introduced. Nevertheless, there are no penalties for Australian-based companies that offer their services overseas. Players won’t get penalties either.
The current state of things
There were some attempts to tighten up these regulations. However, the freedom to the gamblers led to the growth of the online gambling industry. Gambling has been legally considered to be a pastime rather than a profession. It means the users won’t have to pay any taxes for the money they’ve won.
Australian players can now pick from hundreds of sites and platforms with multiple offshore jurisdictions that deliver licenses to them.