As 2010 dawns, land gambling operators in Australia continue to attack the government's Productivity Commission recommendation that online gambling be legalised in the country. In the latest of a series of attacks on the Commission's conclusions, land gaming operators in the state of New South Wales warned the Australian federal government that competition from online casinos, if allowed, could cause hundreds of lost jobs.
NSW land operators told the national government any move to liberalise laws regarding online casinos, allied to the stronger restrictions on land gambling proposed by the Productivity Commission may force them to cut jobs in order to more effectively compete and survive commercially.
Land operator trade association Clubs NSW put numbers to the warning, saying that the Productivity Commission's proposals could cause land operator revenues to decline by as much as 30%, which in turn could trigger up to 200 venue closures and the loss of hundreds of Australian jobs.
In its letter to the federal government, the New South Wales state government additionally warned: "Internet gaming has the potential for exponential growth and without proper regulation it could pose serious problems to society and problem gamblers."
Source: InfoPowa News