Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (the "Act") came into effect on 11 July 2001 (with some provisions coming into effect at later dates). The Act is a response by the Federal Government to concerns that the Internet will exacerbate problem gambling among Australians, and will increase further the economic and social costs that are caused by problem gambling. The Act seeks to safeguard Australians from Internet gambling by targeting both interactive gambling service providers and Australian Internet service providers ("ISPs") to implement measures to prevent persons in Australia, and in certain foreign countries, being able to access interactive gambling services.
An interactive gambling service is a gambling service that is provided to customers in the ordinary course of business using various means such as the Internet, broadcast and datacast services. This is a wide definition and clearly targets on-line casinos and other on-line gaming services. The definition is
