Party Poker Action Ignores Australian Internet Gaming Law

Party Poker, registered in Gibraltar, is advertising for a head of marketing in Australia. This comes as a surprise to Australian lawmakers who have made it an offence for a company in Australia or overseas to provide online casino games to any person who is ''physically present in Australia''. Fines for a breach are up to $220,000 a day for individuals, and $1.1 million a day for companies. Why some would ask is Party Poker being so bold as to flaunt the law of the land and risk heavy fines? The federal government has made no moves to enforce its own internet gambling law the Interactive Gaming Act of 2001. The advertisement posted is looking to hire a head of marketing in Australia, based in Sydney, to ''leverage the brand at the forefront of the poker market in Australia and New Zealand''. Although it is a binding law it has never been enforced, and the government makes no attempt to restrict the activities of online poker games or online casinos. A recent draft report commissioned by the Productivity Commission into gambling estimated that $790 million went offshore to illegal online gambling sites in 2008 with no funds returned to the country of origin. Internet based gambling is considered to be gaining rapid popularity and is estimated to have grown three fold in the last five years as Australians take to the web for their gambling needs. With the Productivity Commission's final report due out soon those in the industry are expecting it will recommend the government overturn the online gambling prohibition. A few of the opposing members of parliament are sure they will be able to block any changes in the current legislation. Anti gambling Senator Nick Xenophon, an independent, is hoping to get the Green's party representative Senator Steve Fielding onside to stop future online gambling companies from making their mark in the country. Looking at the Australian market and it's proximity to Asia it makes perfect sense for a firm like Party Poker to try getting it's foot in the door there. Party Poker's advertisement says it is a ''growing online poker business in Europe with plans to enter the Australasian market''.