Victoria, the state with the highest population density in Australia, is home to Melbourne, the country’s second-largest metropolis. Victoria, located in the south-eastern portion of the Australian mainland (just north of Tasmania), is not only a popular tourist destination, but also the sporting capital of Australia: it hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, is home to the renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground, and annually hosts the Grand Final of the Australian Football League.
Victoria is also home to several gaming options. The Crown Casino, the biggest casino in the whole Southern Hemisphere, is the most well-known of them. The state is also home to a thriving racing business, which (at least for the time being) includes greyhound racing in addition to the more prevalent and less contentious horse races. There is also a great deal of online gambling available here, however in certain situations you may have to seek out foreign sites to participate.
Crown at the Heart of the Gaming Sector
If you want to discuss gambling in Victoria, the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex on the Yarra Promenade in Melbourne is the obvious place to begin. The Crown was debuted in a temporary site in 1994, and moved to its permanent home in 1997. This resort is the biggest of its kind south of the equator, spanning more than 500,000 square metres and comprising the area of two city blocks.
The resort is owned by James Packer’s Crown Limited and boasts a giant casino with a range of table games, 3,500 slot machines, and one of the region’s largest poker rooms, which has hosted the Aussie Millions and the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific. In addition, there are restaurants, bars, retail shops, and three hotel towers with a total of more than 1,600 rooms.
There are no other casinos in Victoria other from this one huge facility. However, this is far from the end of the gambling choices available to inhabitants and tourists. The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation has overseen the availability of pokies in the state since 1992. Poker machines are permitted in both clubs and hotels, with a statewide limit of around 30,000 machines (including those located within the Crown complex).
As in Queensland, racing has a long history in Victoria, going back to at least 1838, when the first formal races were staged at Batman’s Hill in Melbourne. Since 1864, the industry has been primarily governed by the Victorian Racing Club, however it is supervised by Racing Victoria. Today, Victoria is regarded as the racing capital of Australia, with important races held at Flemington, Caulfield, Sandown, Mornington, and several more courses. The wealthiest horse race in the nation, the Australian Cup, and the Australian Guineas, both of which are staged at Flemington, are among the most prestigious races. Greyhound racing is also popular in the state, despite recent scandals that have led to the impending suspension of the sport in other areas.
Also widespread in the state, as they are across Australia, are lottery games. Tattersall’s (commonly known as the Tatts Group or just Tatts) operates the state lottery on behalf of the state government, granting entry to both state and national lotto draws. Saturday Lotto, Oz Lotto, and Powerball are three of the most popular and highest-paying games. The majority of these games are provided under the “Lott” national lottery brand.
The Interactive Gambling Act Establishes Online Play Requirements
In 2001, when the government approved the Interactive Gambling Act, Australia’s online casino regulations were established. Since then, this statute has governed all kinds of Internet betting, however its age has led many to want an amendment that more accurately represents the sector as it exists today.
The central provision of the law prohibits any interactive internet gambling for real money in Australia. In particular, it makes it illegal to provide such games, even if the operator is not physically situated in Australia. On the other hand, it does not criminalize simply placing bets or playing on such sites. This is important to note, as it means that Australians do not need to worry about breaking the law by placing bets, even if they do so through offshore companies that are prohibited from accepting customers from Australia.