Introduction
Online gaming regulation in Australia has been in a state of
flux since the enactment of the Interactive Gambling Act
2001 (Cth) (the IGA) in 2001. Unfortunately,
the latest report, the report of the Parliamentary Joint Select
Committee on Gambling Reform Inquiry into Interactive and Online
Gambling and Gambling Advertising (the JSCOGR
Report), has not assisted in clarifying the position.
The JSCOGR Report was released on 8 December 2011 and covers a
variety of issues. It follows the Productivity Commission's
Inquiry into Gambling in 2010.
Although the report is the work of a parliamentary committee
and, therefore, not binding on the Federal Government, its
recommendations and views will be considered by the Department of
Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy's
(DBCDE) in the context of its ongoing review of
the IGA (the DBCDE Review)6 and are
likely to form the basis of arguments both for and against the
liberalisation of the IGA.
