Tasmanian
Online Betting Approved
As reported by the Australian:
"Australian punters will be able to legally
bet against each other online within weeks,
after Tasmania's upper house yesterday approved
a licensing regime for betting exchanges.
"Independents
in the state's Legislative Council passed the
Lennon Labor Government's legislation paving
the way for the British-based Betfair to get
a licence to operate in Australia.
"The
long-awaited vote came after a second day of
debate in the Legislative Council, where two
amendments allowed the legislation to pass unopposed.
"…Briefings
by Betfair Australia - a 50-50 joint venture
of Betfair UK and Kerry Packer's Publishing
& Broadcasting Ltd - convinced the MLCs
of the integrity of the betting exchange.
"Operating
legally from Britain since 2000, Betfair matches
punters with opposing views on sporting results
and takes commissions from the winner.
"It
will now receive a five-year licence from Tasmania,
where it will spend $10 million and hire 150
staff to establish a second "global hub"
handling Asian and Australasian bets…"
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