Australian government asks for tenders for sportsbook license

To the dismay of anti-gambling lobbyists, the Australian government are asking companies to tender for the right to operate a sportsbook in Victoria after 2012.

The Australian government has reversed its position on online sportsbooks and will be giving license to an online gambling operator to run a sportsbook in Victoria after 2012. This comes after Western Australia lost a court case against Betfair, the first betting exchange to be licensed in Australia. Betfair is an internet based betting exchange which operates as a link between punters, no bookmaker or tote operates as middleman.

When Betfair first opened its doors in 2006, the racing industry in Australia was very skeptical because punters could bet on horses to lose and thereby increase the likelihood of fixed races. But after three years of transparent operation and a clean record, the company has been accepted as part of the online gaming landscape in Australia.

The anti-gambling faction say that "the internet gaming genie is out of the bottle", but they are asking the Government not to allow advertising for the new sportsbook. The Gaming Minister, Tony Robinson says that the sportsbook will be allowed to advertise.He futher said the Government does not see this as a problem as whomever will be awarded the license will have to comply with the high standards of integrity required by Government.

Denis Napthine, opposition racing spokesman is in support of betting exchanges but said the Government should address the corruption and integrity issues raised by retired judge Gordon Lewis before arbitrarily introducing another licensed sportsbook operator into the Victorian racing scene.

Companies likely to tender for the right to operate the Victorian sportsbook would be existing license holder, Tabcorp, Intralot, Tatts Group and Betfair.

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