Gillard May Gain Second Term By Strengthening Australia Gaming Laws

The gambling issue will be key for many political candidates in the US in the upcoming midterm elections, and already the issue is showing its power in other countries. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard may win a second term because of a deal with Independent Andrew Wilkie.

Australia has a high rate of gambling addicts and Wilkie wants more laws and safeguards put in place to ensure that the number decreases instead of increasing in the future. Wilkie has agreed to support Gillard in her effort to retain her position, if the prime minister will agree to gambling changes.

Among the changes that Wilkie would like implemented is requiring that technology be upgraded to include software that would allow for gamblers to place limits on the amount they can lose both in a day and over a period of time. It is a safeguard that many online gambling sites throughout the world already offer.

"The safeguards that Wilkie is proposing is standard operating procedure in other countries," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "Even if these technological advances are made, Australians would still be at risk of gambling addiction because of the number of places where they could find slot machines."

Among those places are bars and pubs throughout the country. Residents can walk into many bars and find slot machines waiting for them. The loss-limits being pushed for by several politicians would at least give the addicts a chance to slow down their gambling to a manageable level.

Gambling reform may also soon take place in the US. Currently, online gambling is considered to be illegal in the country, although the laws do not forbid US residents from gambling at online sites. A good number of representatives are seeking to change the current laws and set up a regulated Internet gambling system in the country.

September 4, 2010
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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