Inside Asian Gaming

IAG APR 2022年4月 亞博匯 86 COLUMNISTS incorporates online poker, as well as other casino style games and in-play betting which form part of the regulated industry in Great Britain. At least on this metric, it seems to rebut the catastrophizing that some gambling researchers and pundits contribute to the discourse on legalizing online poker in Australia. REVENUE LEAKAGE The NSW Government forecasts AU$2.8 billion (US$2.1 billion) in gambling and betting taxation revenue for 2021-22, escalating to AU$3.1 billion (US$2.3 billion) in 2023-24, and as much as casinos draw periods of insatiable media and sometimes community attention, they constitute a modest portion of the revenue pie. They also principally meet the substantial contributions towards the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund. But this is about revenue foregone – revenue leaked to offshore jurisdictions under the extant prohibition that could have contributed to Australian state or territory public revenue and supported economic and social outcomes for communities, as well as created jobs and commercial opportunities for business. Moreover, to the extent that online poker participation contributes to gambling harm, under current arrangements the associated costs are not being defrayed by offshore operators but are subsidized by existing domestic operators within extant resources.