There are few countries on the world map where people are so passionate about games. Although the Australian nation was formed from dozens of other peoples, the inhabitants of the former colony inherited the British love for gambling from their mother country.
The Popularity of Betting in Australia
The vast country of Australia is sparsely populated but has one of the highest per capita gambling densities on the planet. According to some reports, the Australians are superior to the British only through gambling. It has been estimated that the country’s residents spend an average of A$1,300 a year on gambling, which is equivalent to 19 billion local pounds. Incredible result.
At the end of 2015, the sports betting market alone exceeded 27 billion rubles, which is higher than the wildest forecasts. But there is also a dark side to these numbers. It is high time to impose bans on the continent and prevent third-party players from developing. The development of the Internet eliminates the effect of bans.
History of Australian Gambling
Despite a long period of prohibition on any relationship with bookmakers, Australia has always played a tough game, as illegal betting was unstoppable. In the 1980s, the government finally allowed legalized gambling, but this only applied to licensed betting shops. Since 2001, the country has had an Interactive Gambling Law that has severely limited the ability of gambling operators. As a result, Australians have been able to place bets and play lotteries only online. Live betting has also been banned.
Do not forget that Australia is a federal state, which means that each state and territory with its own internal government has its own laws, including gambling. The Northern Territory, for example, has been more loyal to bookmakers since the territory’s government legalized online betting in 1996. By allowing citizens to gamble, the government released the genie from the bottle and asked the world leaders in the gambling industry to intervene in the local market. Thus, for William Hill, the southern continent is considered one of the most valuable sources of income.
Live Betting is Prohibited
In Australia, there is a ban on live betting. BC were met with hostility, which allowed them to somewhat postpone the adoption of this important amendment. As a result, in 2016 the ban came into force. A year later, the authorities will close the loophole for bookmakers after the publication of the law. They took bets by phone. The government has decided to dissolve online poker. Australians can go online to East Asian bookmakers, whose activities are highly criminalized.
The Most Popular Australian Bookmakers
The most famous bookmakers that do not belong to overseas companies. But still the most famous in the world of betting is Sportsbet. This bookmaker has the highest recognition rating in the country – 85%, which is much higher than Tarbcorp.
Sportsbet was founded in 1993 and became the first local licensed operator. In 2010, it was acquired by the Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, which allowed the latter to enter the Australian market. Another major betting operator that has been taken over by European capital as a betting operator is Sportingbet. This bookmaker, which has only 2.5 million registered users in 200 countries, was acquired by William Hill and GVC. And only in the first place did he become the owner of the entire bookmaking business. An important acquisition for William Hill was the return to the attractive Australian market after a four-year absence due to licensing problems.
In Australia, there is another betting operator who was not destined to resist the temptation to sell his business to foreigners. The first bookmaker in the homeland of the kangaroo, which was launched in the southern hemisphere of the planet. She became the property of the insatiable William Hill. So this bookmaker has already settled on Australian soil. The company has become an official partner of the Open Tennis Championship.
Australian bookmakers did not stay away from the division of the Australian pie. Betfair brings its betting exchange principles to the Southern Hemisphere Betfair Australia has become the only exchange in the country. Ladbrokes Australia is a division of the well-known British bookmaker Ladbrokes. In 2016, Betfair and Ladbrokes moved their offices to the Northern Territory, where gambling law is more acceptable.
Apart from the aforementioned European bookmakers, the infamous Bet365 and Unibet have a prominent presence in the Australian betting market.
Online Betting in Australia
The Interactive Gambling Act has banned most gambling that citizens can access over the Internet. But this does not apply to bets that can be made on the sites of licensed operators. Australians are also not prohibited from using the services of a foreign gambling provider. At present, two thirds of all are made online, and this figure is growing year by year.
Sportsbet remains a longtime leader in online betting, accounting for nearly a third of all online betting. The second place is occupied by Tabcorp, and the third – by companies owned by William Hill. Features of local legislation allow foreign companies to actively enter the Australian market, which can significantly change its face in the future. On the other hand, the authorities are constantly increasing the tax burden on bookmakers, which is painful for them.
