BetPokies was founded back in 2020 by John Gold, a passionate gambler with over a dozen years of experience to share.
Within a short period of time, the website has developed to one of the most comprehensive Australian gambling review websites. Currently, ZehrMedia LTD owns BetPokies, and it flourishes under John’s editorial direction.
Once a regular casino review portal has turned into a one-stop-shop on every subject a modern online gambler needs to know including casino reviews, game provider details, payment methods, gambling news and other relevant information.
Here, we will share an interview with the founder and current editor-in-chief of betpokies.org John Gold. The topic of the interview is the Australian gambling legislation, a topic that so many people get lost at.
BetPokies is such a comprehensive site when it comes to all things gambling. Why did you decide to focus on gambling laws as one of your major guides?
John Gold, who you can see on the left, answers: Regarding betting activities, in Australia, it is a huge industry. Recent research of the Australian Institute of Family Studies showed that over 6.5 million Australians were engaged in gambling activity. Such a huge industry must also be well regulated. The regulations we see at our legislation are quite complicated, and so might be unclear for regular gamblers. There are hard regulations for both online money gambling and offline gambling, and it has to be said, if you do not have the perfect information, it is rather difficult to cope with this. Whether you are a gambler or a gambling establishment, it is not only advantageous to know the laws, it is a matter of survival. That’s why at BetPokies we have created the guide “Gambling Laws in Australia.” We have known that people who come to our site may be inclined to socially irresponsibly gamble and so issue this document to ensure safe gambling on moderation at all times in all jurisdictions.
The great success and usefulness of the “Gambling laws” guide is proven by one of reviews on Trustpilot, where BetPokies.org is rated on 4.7.
It certainly looks like a great deal of responsibility. How did you go about developing this guide?
John Gold: Well, I will be honest with you. It all started with my personal gambling background. Throughout over 10 years of my gambling career, I’ve seen many people struggling and so breaking Aussie gambling legislations, eventually suffering the consequences. Therefore, I took the responsibility of getting BetPokies’ readers acquainted with the Australian gambling laws.
At BetPokies, we take with utmost importance the detail and correctness of the content we provide to our visitors. For this guide, my team and I collaborated with attorneys and legal counsellors that are particularly knowledgeable in the area of gambling legislation. We sought to ensure that all the Australian gambling legislation was included, but in a well-regulated way. Just as it may be difficult for a child to find their way through a jungle of heavy thick vegetation, it is also difficult to navigate the gambling legal regime. We asked lawyers and lawyers’ organisations, the administrative authorities to explain how gambling is regulated in different states or even territories. The result is a comprehensive thesis from school of gambling studies addressing everything from how each state approaches gambling, what controls are at a federal level and what is the history of gambling practices in Australia.
That’s interesting. You talked about state and federal laws. Isn’t it true that every country has its own set of laws governing gambling activities in this Australia venue?
John Gold: Of course. Putting aside a few exceptions, there is no overarching legislation controlling all types of gambling activities in Australia. Rather, there exists what is known as the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, which is a basic law regarding online gambling, and then there are separate laws regulating land-based gambling facilities in every state and territory. This causes confusion as some laws are geographical. For example, in New South Wales, there is Liquor and Gaming NSW, which controls everything including gaming machine operations to casino licences. However, in Victoria, you are working with the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission and so there are definitely differences. Our guide explains all of this in detail as so regardless of your location in Australia, you will be clear what laws are applicable to you.
When understanding these laws, it is not only the casino operators that cannot take a step back but also the gamblers, don’t you think?
John Gold: I certainly agree with this submission. Apart from players, many people in the business tend to ignore the legal side as well. It helps players to concentrate on where and how to participate for wager. For instance, in Australia, they are quite strict on online gambling activities. The Interactive Gambling Act does not permit the provision of various types of online gambling, including online pokie and casino games that do not involve overseas licensed providers. For example, a player may engage in betting via the internet and think that they are out of harm’s way whereas in an actual sense, they could be engaging in an illegal activity without their knowledge. Our “Gambling laws” guide clarifies what is permitted and what is not according to Australia’s legal system and what those nuances are in advance for the players.
And as for the casinos and virtual platforms, how do you prepare your guide so that they manage this legal aspect?
John Gold: For any operators, land-based or online, the risks are even greater. This means non-compliance could lead to imposition of massive monetary penalties or even cancellation of their license. Australia has stringent reasons for its anti-money laundering policies (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), as, every gambling operator has to be compliant to. Regulatory jurisdiction is with AUSTRAC, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre. We also cover that on oue “Gambling laws” page—explaining how operators need to report suspicious transactions and comply with strict financial reporting standards. For anyone planning to run a gambling business, understanding these regulations is not optional — it’s mandatory.
It appears that your team at BetPokies put forth every effort for the purposes of achieving within this guide possible comprehensiveness.
John Gold: Yes, and that is one of the reasons why BetPokies has built a great reputation in the market. We do not only focus on the casino reviews and articles about pokies, we take our readers’ education on the online gambling topic seriously. All papers, all the guides are researched and this is no exception. We spoke to some experts, read a great deal of legal material and continue to revise the guide as per the laws and practices change. This year we incorporated information concerning the bans on the use of credit cards in 2023 as one of the amendments of the Interactive Gambling Act. We are doing that all the time so that our readers remain informed.
It is worth noting, that BetPokies team updates their reviews and guides monthly. Therefore, you can be sure you receive the most timely information possible!
What would you say is the biggest takeaway from the “Gambling Laws in Australia” guide for your readers?
John Gold: I would call the most important lesson: the phrase ‘knowledge is power’’. And this by lines applies both when you are putting the wager, or you are the owner of the gambling establishment. Understanding what the rules are regarding the activity itself can prevent a lot of trouble in the long run. The guide goes a long way to clarify the fact that there are legal and moral conditions, which should be adhered to by every person seeking to get engaged in this business. Every time we have said it at BetPokies, it is the fact that we are seeking to create an honest, and informative site where players and operators get whatever they require to operate in this highly competitive market.
I see your inexperience is not lacking in either comprehension. BetPokies is not simply an online gambling review site. Instead, it’s an online resource that teaches the players. What other comments would you like to make to our readers?
John Gold: I would say this simple thing about gambling – bear in mind its unsafe nature and remain cautious and responsible approach.
Also, John Gold shared with us some insider information: the BetPokies team will be expanded. John Gold is already actively looking for a lawyer to join the team to create a special portal where players who have encountered legal problems while playing at online casinos will be able to get free professional help. If you consider yourself suitable for this position, please contact [email protected].
With the expertise of John Gold and his dedicated team at BetPokies, Aussie gamblers can now gamble with the confidence that they’re doing so legally and responsibly. Stay tuned to BetPokies for more guides, reviews, and gambling news to keep you ahead of the game.