It seems that poker and online gambling are under debate down under.  And the story doesn’t seem to change much with the hemisphere.  The Australian government appointed an independent research and advisory board called the Productivity Commission to investigate the issue.  And guess what, they came back with the recommendation that online poker should be legalised (they’re Australian, they spell it that way) in the country.

So, the government legalized (umm, legalised) online poker and everyone in Australia is happily playing, right.

Umm, no. See that would make sense.  See, you appoint an independent board to investigate the issue and you think you’d follow their advice.  But no, if they don’t come back with the advice you want, just reject it. 

Despite the board’s recommendation, Australia’s communications minister has told journalists that the government still isn’t convinced that online gambling is a benefit to the country.  Apparently there is concern that Australians have trouble both with addiction to online gambling and with dealing with rapid changes in technology.  

Now, true, some people do have gambling problems.  Others have drinking problems, eating problems and a host of other issues.  We’re human.  But is it necessary to restrict any activity that may cause some people a problem from the rest of the population? 

Here’s an interesting fact.  In the United States, gambling meccas like Atlantic City and Las Vegas suffered a decline in revenue when the US economy went into the pits.  So, apparently many gamblers within the United States were able to cut back on their gambling when they had less money.  So, for many players, gambling isn’t an uncontrollable addiction.  So, why can’t we play poker?