When it comes to the Australian gambling market, its laws are quite complex. Residents are allowed to play the games, but operators are now allowed to offer them. For years, the Australian government has not enforced the law, but it seems that this will be changing. This week, the iTunes App Market in Australia banned two online casino applications: 888 and PokerStars.

The two online gambling operators offered real-money gambling applications on the marketplace, and have done so for quite some time. Players noticed the change immediately, and PokerStars was the first to respond. The company replied in a tweet: “Your local authorities are the best point of call for information. As far as we know it’s a 'clamp down’ on mobile gaming”.

While it seems like a sudden development, this seems to have been in the works for quite some time. Several months ago, Senator Di Natale called on Apple to remove PokerStars from the mobile marketplace. He stated that since the Interactive Gambling Act prohibits all forms of online gambling from unlicensed operators, it its Apple’s responsibility to remove the title.

As part of the Interactive Gambling Act, all operators that fail to follow the rules can be subject to significant fines. The maximum penalty per day is $340,000 for individuals and $1.85 million for companies. As it stands, no fines have been laid against PokerStars and 888. In the mobile gambling market, it seems that most applications are only permitted by the UK government.

There are some exceptions, but most countries around the world prohibit players from accessing mobile casino games – at least until a legislation on the matter is established. The Interactive Gambling Act has recently been reviewed, and there was the possibility that online gambling would be regulated. However, federal politicians rejected the idea earlier this year. Now, they are going after mobile operators.

There is no word yet on whether or not other operators will be banned but, the games are currently still available in the Google Play Store for Android devices.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.