Sheldon Adelson's comments used as excuse for ban on mobile apps in Australia

Michael Paler

Michael Paler

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Australia Bans Mobile Poker Apps

From the article;

"His words echo those made by Sheldon Adelson, chief executive of Las Vegas’s Sands casino resort, who said that online poker and gambling Apps were a "a societal train wreck waiting to happen"."

http://www.pokerupdate.com/news/law-and-legislation/australia-bans-mobile-poker-apps/

Looks like not everyone can see through the fog of lies, innuendo, speculation and outright hypocrisy that Adelson is spreading like manure. And he is doing it as fast as he can shovel in order to cover his own failings in his operations of the Sands.

Now others are using his comments to back up their own ignorance of the subject at hand.

Can you even play in a cash game on a mobile App? I thought that was only for social media where there are prizes; or can you play poker stars just like you can on a computer?
 
OzExorcist

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Stars definitely allowed you to play for real money through a mobile app - never used it myself, but I've got friends that have used it here in Australia.

FWIW I don't think any comments Sheldon Adelson may or may not have made have anything to do with this though. There's a huge anti-gambling push going on in Australia at the moment, mostly driven around the issue of sports betting (which is 100% legal here, but a few companies have been pushing the boundaries with respect to how they advertise their services).

Richard Di Natale is a senator for the Greens party, who have a particular bug in their butts about gambling on the whole and he's right, the law that in theory bans online poker in Australia has been on the books since 2001 - we've just rarely bothered to enforce it. And there's a federal election here later in the year so everybody's trying to posture up and make themselves look big and important.
 
Michael Paler

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Stars definitely allowed you to play for real money through a mobile app - never used it myself, but I've got friends that have used it here in Australia.

FWIW I don't think any comments Sheldon Adelson may or may not have made have anything to do with this though. There's a huge anti-gambling push going on in Australia at the moment, mostly driven around the issue of sports betting (which is 100% legal here, but a few companies have been pushing the boundaries with respect to how they advertise their services).

Richard Di Natale is a senator for the Greens party, who have a particular bug in their butts about gambling on the whole and he's right, the law that in theory bans online poker in Australia has been on the books since 2001 - we've just rarely bothered to enforce it. And there's a federal election here later in the year so everybody's trying to posture up and make themselves look big and important.

I think I worded the title incorrectly, sorry. I was in a hurry at the time; they just quoted him as they would any big name that helps their cause and agrees as they do (was what I meant, that makes too long a title though), I do not know how to change it now. I am still new at this.

So the issue was already there in full swing. I fully expect in the end (long from now) it will come down to what it always has; money. Once the money from taxes on OLP is rolling in other places, suddenly morally upright and uptight leaders have an "epiphany" and change their minds. Especially when other politicians (like in America) get money from poker industry lobbyists and campaign contributions from poker players. Then they wonder if they can to, while increasing the tax base. Here they already allow all of the states lottery's (about as fine an example of gambling you can ever find) an exemption from gambling as the "benefit to our schools outweigh the moral objection" (barf).

I know that when black friday hit America, more than one person pointed out the stupidity of eradicating a billion dollar industry instead of taxing and properly regulating it. Especially when the Gov. needs $$ to keep all the social programs that are ever expanding going.

BTW, we stopped in Australia when I was in the Navy, while on a "west pac" trip; it was easily my favorite stop of all. Had a helluva time "parking" the ship though, lol (we picked an oddball place to berth), but I am so glad we did.
 
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Zorba

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Stars definitely allowed you to play for real money through a mobile app - never used it myself, but I've got friends that have used it here in Australia.

FWIW I don't think any comments Sheldon Adelson may or may not have made have anything to do with this though. There's a huge anti-gambling push going on in Australia at the moment, mostly driven around the issue of sports betting (which is 100% legal here, but a few companies have been pushing the boundaries with respect to how they advertise their services).

Richard Di Natale is a senator for the Greens party, who have a particular bug in their butts about gambling on the whole and he's right, the law that in theory bans online poker in Australia has been on the books since 2001 - we've just rarely bothered to enforce it. And there's a federal election here later in the year so everybody's trying to posture up and make themselves look big and important.
I've never heard of it being enforced, do you know of anyone, it is such an ignored law here that I only found out about it when I made an account at Carbon then they sent me an e-mail stating that I couldn't play there according to Australian law, and they attached the law for me to read.
 
OzExorcist

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Michael: for the most part I agree about this being about money but in the case of Di Natale and the Greens, it really is a moral/philosophical objection to gambling. Plus our economy isn't in such bad shape that it really needs extra revenue from online poker. So they can afford to be preachy about it :p

I've never heard of it being enforced, do you know of anyone, it is such an ignored law here that I only found out about it when I made an account at Carbon then they sent me an e-mail stating that I couldn't play there according to Australian law, and they attached the law for me to read.

N'yeah, that's the thing - I'm not a lawyer, but when I read it I saw provisions that prohibited companies from providing online poker services to us, but nothing that prohibited players from using them. And since the vast majority of poker sites don't operate from within Australia's jurisdiction, we went for about 10 years without there being any action taken.

Carbon was the special case because they <i>did</i> have operations here. Ironically I think it was absolutely fine and legal for them to operate here and offer their services to people overseas, just not Australians.

This law is also why sites that offer a range of gaming (including online poker) overseas don't offer it here - betfair is the first one that comes to mind. They want to operate here for all the juicy legal sports betting, so they just drop poker for Australian customers.
 
pfb8888

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wow. . I thought his name sounded familiar.... I was at a harness track/ casino yesterday and on the tote board they said happy b-day Sheldon adelson 80 ! why would he spend his 80th in upstate ny ?
 
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