While politicians across Australia and New Zealand are looking for ways to limit the harm done by land-based casino games, the online gambling market is popping up right under their noses. This market is something that they simply have not considered, but the impact of online casino games on the Australian and New Zealand gambling markets is going to be huge.
A recent study by Southern Cross University found that a large portion of the population have already been gambling online for years. Out of 6500 people surveyed, half of them admitted to having gambled online in the past six years. This means that residents are contributing to the growth of online gambling than any other form of gaming.
According to estimates, citizens could be spending upwards of $600 million on online gambling and online casino games every year. These statistics are likely to come as a huge surprise to the local government, which has spent the past decade trying to ban the activity.
Now that the Gillard government has turned its attention away from poker machine reform, it may be time to consider regulating online gambling. With so much money being pumped into the industry, the local government should think of ways to protect players and earn tax revenue.
