A popular form of betting in recent years has been to wager on the results of popular lotteries around the world such as EuroMillions and Powerball. Wagers cost less than the price of a lottery ticket and if you are correct, you win the same amount of the lottery jackpot, which comes into the millions of dollars.
Bowing under pressure from Australian newsagents, pubs and clubs, the Federal Government Down Under has announced new legislation that will ban betting on international lotteries. The government said that allowing betting on what it terms “synthetic” lotteries essentially undermines the longstanding community acceptance of official lottery and keno products.
“These products enjoy community support as they generate an income stream for small retail businesses and make a significant contribution, through license fees and taxation, to the provision of public services and infrastructure by state and territory governments,” said Australian Communications Minister Mitch Fifield.
“Traditional lotteries and keno games are popular and longstanding recreational gambling products that form an important income stream for thousands of small businesses across Australia, including newsagents, pharmacies, pubs and community clubs.”
Lottery games operator, Lottoland, came out strongly against the Australian government’s decision, saying that while it understands the concerns expressed by some newsagents, the proposed legislation is “misguided and unnecessary.” The company’s chief executive Luke Brill said that Lottoland does not even offer betting opportunities on Australian lotteries, which means that its offerings do not have a direct impact on newsagents.
