A bill proposing to ban social casinos in Australia, operating through social media, websites or apps, has been proposed by Andrew Wilkie, an independent member of parliament.
The bill intends to close the loophole in the law that currently bans online gambling from the Australian market. The social casinos provide virtual chips instead of actual money as ‘cash outs’. Wilkie, writing in his Twitter account and reported by Focus Asia Pacific, says: “Social casinos are games played on social media platforms like Facebook, websites or phone apps.
“In these virtual casinos players are enticed in with free chips and credits, only to be encouraged to pay real money to continue playing or place higher bets. The real kicker is that players can’t cash out once the game has finished.”
He adds: “I introduced the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill that would ban social casinos. The ball is now in the government’s court. Either it will see sense and support the bill or rollover and get its tummy tickled again by the gambling industry.”
