USA Today – Some call it the Lucky Country, but Australia is not so fortunate when it comes to wagers. Eighty percent of its citizens engage in some kind of gambling — the highest rate of any country in the world — and they lose more than anyone else, to the tune of some $21.5 billion a year. Gambling comes in various forms, including lotteries, bingo and sport betting, but the main drivers behind Australia’s epidemic are the electronic gaming machines known as “pokies.” There’s one poker machine for every 108 people — only tiny Monaco can compete — and…

Casino City Times – A rollback on imposing ATM withdrawal limits on cash machines in gambling venues has taken place in Australia, The Guardian reported. The previous Labour government had introduced the measure as a proposal to tackle problem gambling under its pokie-reform platform, the report said. However, the Social Affairs Minister issued a directive that instructs the gambling regulator to prioritize giving gambling venues an exemption from the limits, according to The Guardian report. It appears possible that the increased economic burden that would be placed on ATM industry to comply with the regulations is behind the directive, the…

The Guardian – Australians love a punt and new research shows we wager more, and lose more, than any other country in the world, according to a report published in the Economist. It puts Australian gambling losses at about $1144 a resident. But Australians are only the world’s biggest punters because they have the most opportunity to fritter cash away, anti-gambling campaigners say. “Gambling is just like eucalyptus oil – it’s natural,” said Tim Costello, chairman of the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce. “But in Australia we’ve allowed gambling to proliferate more than anyone else in the world.” Monash University gambling…

The Daily Mail – The gambling industry has emerged from an era of failed reforms with campaigners on the payroll, politicians in its pocket, and four new casinos in the offing. Campbell Newman’s recent announcement to offer up to three new casino licences in Queensland signals that Australia’s second great gambling boom has begun. The Queensland premier’s decision to offer the new licences, to kick-start what he called a “faded and jaded” state tourism industry, brings the total number of new casinos announced in Australia in 2013 to four – including James Packer’s bid for a second Sydney casino which…

Cairns – The proponents of a $4.2 billion mega-resort at Yorkeys Knob will open a second display office to cater for the immense community interest generated by theproject. Since opening last week, more than 1000 people have visited Aquis’ Cairns Central shop to find out more about Hong Kong investor Tony Fung’s plan to build the resort on 343ha of land north of Cairns. Mr Fung’s son, Justin Fung, last night met about 30 members of the Yorkeys Knob business community to discuss the proposal. He said there had been a positive response to the project after a “solid week…

From The Conversation – That bookmaker Tom Waterhouse has sold his eponymous company to British bookmaking powerhouse William Hill is no surprise. Waterhouse’s recent very public bid for recognition and market share was widely viewed as a strategy to make his company a bright prospect amidst the plethora of online bookies licensed to operate in Australia. That his high-profile self-promotion exercise also infuriated sports fans watching their favourite code on TV was collateral damage. His competitors accused him of queering their (marketing) pitch by his ubiquitous, high-profile (and expensive) TV promotion of live odds. Public outcry forced reluctant politicians to…