Gambling in Australia

In the mid-1990s the idea of online gambling was starting to catch on and Australia wanted in on the action. For a while it looked like full steam ahead but then the Australian government put a monkey wrench into the plans of Australian online casino owners and pretty much stopped them in their tracks. One major online Australian casino remained because it existed before the new legislation, but aside from that, Australians had to do their gambling on land.

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Gambling was brought to Australia a few centuries ago with the new settlers and quickly established itself as a popular entertainment and leisure activity among all social groups. At first, the games were influenced by British tastes and but then - by the 19th century - gambling took on European and Asian influences, as well. Inevitably, the U.S. had its say, and modern day casinos are inspired by American land-based gambling houses in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

The legalization of gambling in Australia has known its ups and downs. At some point, sports betting and land-based casino card games were deemed illegal but now they are allowed and there are many lavish and impressive casinos in Australia that feature blackjack, poker, slot machines (known as pokies in Australia), keno, etc. Sports betting, including betting on horse races, is very popular in Australia and, in fact, this is one type of gambling that is permitted on the Internet.

Legal Online Gambling is Just a Matter of Time

Horseracing was the first form of organized gambling in Australia and by the late 19th century racetracks could be found in every major town. Nonetheless, there's no stopping progress and, in the last 30 years or so, casino gambling has replaced horse betting and lotteries as the most popular form of gambling in Australia. New and faster computerized video games, linked progressive jackpots and other exciting innovations have helped to keep consumer interest at a record high level. By the 1990s video slots - pokies to Australians - had taken over. Land-based pokies/slot machines have become wildly popular and generate millions of dollars of revenues every year.

Online gamblers can take heart when they look back at the history of gambling in Australia. For most of the 20th century - until the mid-1950s - most gambling games, including pokies, were deemed illegal, until the government realized they could make a ton of money if they just legalized gambling and took a piece of the action. Since then, land-based casino gambling has flourished, though Internet gambling is still not legal. Inevitably, though - as history has proven - the winds will shift in Australia and the online gambler will have something to smile about again. Until then, there is no dearth of gambling halls down under and pokie fans can find their favorite games in many pubs, clubs and casinos across Australia.