Playing Poker in Australia is Worth it – Despite the Online Ban
Australia is a continent and, at the same time, the sixth-largest country in the world with an extensive landscape and unique flora and fauna. The most popular cities are Sydney as well as Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The biggest attractions, besides the metropolises, are the Great Barrier Reef, which is the largest, continuous coral reef in the world, and the Port Campell National Park on the Great Ocean Road.
The outback in the hinterland is also popular with tourists. But Australia has even more, to offer: Poker. No other continent likes to play the card game as much as Australia. Although online poker operators have withdrawn from Australia due to the new legal situation and the lack of regulation, there are still more than enough poker tournaments. And if you want to gamble online, you can always switch to a European online casino. There are many portals on the Internet that test reputable online casinos so that the right provider can be found quickly.
The Online Poker Portals Have Withdrawn
In 2001, a law was passed in Australia that banned sports betting and gambling on the Internet. However, online poker has so far been tolerated. However, these forms of gambling have recently become illegal. Australian poker fans will therefore have to do without popular poker rooms on the Internet such as 888poker, Full Tilt and Pokerstars due to the changing laws. Only black market providers like Ignition will continue to offer online poker. The end does not come as a surprise. But many operators had hoped to get a license. But that seems unlikely. Because the draft to legalize, online poker was rejected by the Senate. The Australians and the tourists don’t have to despair. There are numerous other ways to play poker. Not online, but in one of the many tournaments.
The Best Poker Tournaments in Australia
The Australian Poker Championship, known as the Crown Aussie Millions is the most famous poker tournament Down Under. At the same time, it is also the largest in the world. The series takes place every year. The venue for the poker tournaments is the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Players from all over the world gamble against each other around the clock. In general, poker is an important and popular leisure entertainment in Melbourne. If you are clever, you can win participation in advance and qualify for the tournament on the Internet. It is also possible to compete in the Aussie Millions as a team.
The tournament, which lasts 18 days, has millions of dollars to be won. Vacationers shouldn’t miss the chance to attend when in Australia.
Legal Status of Online Gambling in Australia
Australians make good use of their vast land when it comes to gambling, but what happens when they want to play casino games online? After all, most of Australia is a desert and people who need to cross it to get to a decent gaming lounge prefer to stay home and be entertained on their smartphones, tablets, and computers.
In the late 90s, the first online casinos began to emerge, offering digital casino games and remote sports betting services to players across the country. The Australian government saw the need to regulate the internet betting market and did so in 2001 with the Interactive Gaming Act (IGA).
The interactive gambling law has not regulated the market so much, as it has banned online casinos and imposed restrictions on live betting in the game. The law is aimed at operators of gambling based in Canada. Australia. Any game of chance, including mixed games of chance and skill played on the Internet, is prohibited under the IGA, provided that it is provided by a person physically located in Australia.
It is considered an offence to provide a prohibited interactive gambling service to customers in Australia even if you are based overseas, but in reality, many offshore gambling sites cater to Australians every day. Customers of offshore websites need not worry since the legislation is aimed at operators. No one has ever been prosecuted under the IGA until now.
There were no significant changes until 2016 when the Australian Senate passed the Interactive Gaming Amendment Bill. It went into effect in September 2017, banning online casinos and offshore poker sites from accepting or serving Australian players.
Australia Online Casino Games
Australians did not give up their need to play online casino games after the Interactive Gambling Act. They found their way to proven international operators who provided them with safe and convenient gaming environments and quality software. Their beloved slots are still the most dominant on these websites, but there are plenty of other options – table games, live dealer tables, squeaky lotteries, keno, bingo, and arcade games.
Where exactly can Australians play these games?
For example, Joe Fortune Casino, FairGo Casino, and Slotocash are proven destinations filled with fun and lucrative games and AUD bonuses.
Joe Fortune Casino is operated by Betting Partners and caters exclusively to Australians. It has an Australian theme and a Curacao license. The wide range of games that Joe Fortune offers is fascinating, and all come from trusted vendors like Rival, Real Time Gaming, iSoftBet, Makitone Gaming, and Visionary iGaming. Banking is done by card and Bitcoin, as well as by check and wire transfer. The latest additions to the Joe Fortune library are live dealer games: Blackjack, American Roulette, European Roulette, and Super 6.
Slotocash is perhaps more well known as a friendly brand in the United States, but it also readily accepts Australian bettors. This instant casino offers a 200% welcome bonus and 100 free spins. It sports a Curacao license and RTG software. Slotocash is a sea of wonderful slots, or should we say slots, such as Lucha Libre 2, Bubble Bubble, God of Wealth, and Eternal Love.
Finally, FairGo Casino is a Deckmedia-based site that is also Australia-themed – a koala is its mascot. FairGo has great bonus offers and a rich collection of RTG slots. Customers can fund their accounts with a Neosurf prepaid card, MasterCard, Visa, wire transfer and Bitcoin. At FairGo Casino, support is available 24/7, and Australians can use a toll-free number to contact one of the agents.
In conclusion, as we said above, the current ban on online casinos has limited the choice of poker rooms for Australian players. All the big brands like 888-casino, PokerStars, PartyPoker and Intertops have left the Australian online gaming market. However, Australian online casino sites hosted abroad have a few poker options up their sleeves.
Although Slotocash and FairGo Casino do not have separate poker rooms, they offer the Caribbean Hold’em Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Caribbean Draw Poker and Tri Card Poker, among others. They have remarkable collections of online video poker machines (with up to 52 hands) and help maintain the Australian poker community.
The Australian Online Poker Alliance (AOPA) continues to pressure the government to consider reforms that could allow the regulation of online poker. Until that happens, Australians will continue to take advantage of the limited – but available – options on the web.