The government’s Communications Minister Richard Alston said:
“The prohibition will apply to all gaming and wagering services, including poker machines, casino games, sports betting and lotteries, that are offered on a commercial basis over the internet or through on-line delivery systems such as interactive television and advanced mobile-phone technologies.”
The ban will not extend to those in Australia offering their services to punters based overseas. The Australian gambling service providers (not the ISPs) will have the onus of checking that users are from overseas only. The decision follows a one-year moratorium on internet gambling, due to expire in May. Alston added that the decision was an attempt to displace Australia’s position among the world’s leading problem gambling nations.
The vast number of worldwide gambling web sites means that Australians are unlikely to have too much difficulty in gaining access to gambling services.