The Australian Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has revealed that the Turnbull Government is set to introduce a piece of legislation aimed at banning on foreign lotteries or Keno games. The decision has been made after a campaign against such operators has been unveiled by the One Nation party.
The nation-wide ban is to start six months after the bill is passed by the Parliament in order to provide gambling operators with a certain transition period.
The statement was made by Senator Fifield after local media reports that the country’s Government intended to ban so-called “synthetic lotteries” which has been taken as a threat to small business owners and local newsagents. According to the Communications Minister, the Government formed a belief that betting on the above-mentioned services put the long-standing community acceptance of official keno and lottery products in jeopardy.
As explained by Minister Fifield, players found traditional lotteries and keno games very attractive, which is why such products had been quite popular in the country. The problem with that form of gambling was that it “stole” an important income stream from small businesses on the territory of Australia, redirecting them to foreign gambling operators. He further confessed that online gambling agencies that offered “synthetic lotteries”, or betting on a certain lottery’s outcome, had been a major community concern for some time now.
Mr. Fifield explained that the federal Government wanted to work in collaboration with newsagents in order to make sure that local customers were provided with greater choice and excellent-quality services, which also had the potential of bringing individual newsagents massive benefits, too.
Synthetic Lotteries to Be Banned in Australia
Under the new piece of legislation, local players would not be allowed to bet on the lotteries or Keno games, as the federal Government is to impose a nation-wide ban on such wagers. As mentioned above, the new piece of legislation is planned to be officially introduced to the Parliament tomorrow, suspending the so-called “synthetic lotteries”, which have been offered by some gambling operators, including Lottoland.
The move comes after official lottery and Keno providers, as well as small local businesses, scolded foreign operators, accusing them in hurting their performance on their domestic market.
As mentioned above, “synthetic lotteries”, which provide customers with the chance to place a bet on the outcome of a certain lottery, has provoked some concerns in local communities. According to campaigners, such practices were undermining people’s acceptance of traditional lotteries, with the Government having listened to various groups that had expressed their criticism towards those products.
The latest Turnbull Government crackdown decision on controversial lottery websites would ban companies such as Lottoland and Planet Lotto. Lottoland is one of the operators that has been offering local players the opportunity to place a bet on the outcome of international lotteries. The company, however, has fallen under the criticism of the local newsagent industry, which has been supported by the leader of the One Nation party Pauline Hanson.
- Author
Daniel Williams
