Is online poker legal in australia? |
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Posted Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:35 pm GMT by onemind
Hi,
I have just started plaaying online poker for money and have been having a few wins. Was just wondering if this is legal here in oz and if so, how do taxes work for winnings?
Thanks for any info
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Posted Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:57 am GMT by Muck
Most of what I’ve read says Australia has similar laws to the US. On-line poker is not legal but the international nature of the service makes it difficult to police and enforce the laws.
I’ve seen a few articles where the government tried to shift the responsibility on to the banks and credit card companies. But they weren’t any better placed to get around the problems than the government, so ended up just getting annoyed. It also opened up the door for proxy services like PayPal to offer an easy get around solution.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (which might have been amended now) targets the providers not the customers. So you don’t have to worry the cops will come busting down your door every time you ante up 
As far as tax is conserned, unless you’re making a serious amount of money from on-line poker (thousands a year) I doubt the tax man cares.
Posted Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:02 am GMT by onemind
Thanks Muck.
I wonder how professional online players get around it. There are heaps of news stories and articles about some guy or girl making a living online. If it was illegal, wouldn't the cops go straight to their place and seize their funds? Also, if 100% of your income is from online poker, it would be impossible to hide that from the tax man.
Not that it matters to me because i'll probably never get off the micro tables :D
Cheers
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