Aussie Slots

The sound of a tinkling of coins shattering on the collecting tray of the slot machine is sure to excite the player. Poker has been a game that has won many hearts, and this has been the case for many years now. From 2003, or so, there has been a steady growth of the popularity of Poker game. The poker slot machines in land-based casinos and even online have been a major draw.

While in the past, only those who loved to play Rummy or Bingo or even the lottery would go to a casino, pokies have changed the scene a great deal. Today, pokies draw as many gamers individually to the casinos. This is a phenomenon across the world, including countries like Australia. However, the biggest numbers of pokies players are in the suburbs or in the villages of Australia. Here, there are small communities of poker players who have lost more than they can ever recover and yet, most of them are not able to give it up.

The Magnetic Charm of the Poker Games

Few people have family members who were gambling addicted. Many people who have had generations of family members playing poker are not able to give it up and yet, they have realized that they have lost more than they can chew.

There are people like Ross Davey, who used to have a home, and a job, all that he lost thanks to his addiction to poker. There are also people like Allison Keogh, the spokesperson of Alliance for Gambling Reform who speaks out about how this habit of poker existed in her family from her mother. Her childhood saw her mother spending money behind these slots. However, in her own life, Allison Keogh regrets of the money she has lost.

The Compensation for the Loss- Just a Minor One

Though many local casinos claim that they use a fair percentage of the profit in setting up parks and other recreation for the society, this is not actually making up for the loss. This is a general feeling, and this is not just a case of sour grapes. But the fact exists that people are addicted to pokies and it is not helping the economy of a place by any big way. There is a large number of people facing unemployment and lack of opportunities as well.

However, one has to note that there are a certain set of slot machines that fool the people and cheat them too with their ‘misinformation’. In recent days, a former gambling addict in Australia has used the Aristocrat Technologies and Crown Casino for offering slot machines, which deceive players with wrong sounds and indications. The case has become the talk of the town more so because it shall change the attitude of the game developers and take the slot machine manufacturer seriously. It shall also help in making the local people wake up to the addiction of pokies that has gripped them.

Of late, a lot has been happening in the gaming sector in Australia. Poker has already become a hot favorite here is nothing new. In fact, the suburban parts of Australia are all literally going crazy about the game. However, that said, not just poker, slot games, both from land-based and online casinos are on a high here. But that is where the government of Western Australia and in other parts are thinking of making big and small tweaks in the law and tax scenario.

The government is currently trying to freeze the “Signing up” of new players on the online casinos. The online portals of Bet365, Crownbet, and the like are famous for offering credits, welcome bonuses and even freebies luring new players to signing up have been ordered to stop this right away.

What is the Government’s Agreement now?

The government in Australia know that the largest betting event, “Spring Racing Carnival” (www.springracingcarnival.com.au) is about to start in a few weeks. The government also saw a surge in the number of punters from Australia, who sign up to bet in these online sites or even urge a friend to sub it for them and sign up. With the Spring Racing Carnival just around the corner, it is time for operators to urge more punters and potential betters to sign up and start betting too now. So, they felt that there should be better norms to keep check of the consumers now more than ever.

The government is actually undertaking a major revamp of the set of restrictions on online gaming and hence this restriction that they have imposed is just a part of it. The full set of new laws and framework would be ready by the middle of the year 2018.

The Consumer–friendly Approach from the Government

The Human Services Minister, Alan Tudge has claimed that the government found that this was just a measure to ensure bet-loving Australians did so with caution. Since gambling addiction is a serious issue and people end up losing more than ever with careless betting during a session the government had to do something.

By this year-end, the state and federal government’s gambling ministers are planning to disclose the entire list of new rules and regulations. However, these rules are not just for the operators alone, but even for the players who should be equally accountable for the amount they wish to spend on betting. There would be a chance for them to set their limits for a grace period of seven days, and then it would be extended too.

Hard Times Call for Tough Action

There is a never-seen-before rise in the number of players and that is not just in the land-based casinos, but by over 15% on online casinos. So, in a bid to curb the rise the number of players and the money they lost, this is a major step that is all set to revolutionize the iGaming scene in Australia.