While the idea for a working group to address Internet gaming issues in Australia has been percolating for a while, it clearly gained a foothold at an organizational meeting held on the Gold Coast at the Casinos and Gaming Conference there. The idea for the OnLine Gambling Association of Australia (OLGAA) got a good response with a room full of prospective operators and suppliers with a sprinkling of regulators in attendance also endorsing the idea.
Steve Toneguzzo of Global Gaming Services, an Australian testing service, has been leading the charge for over a year to establish such an organization. He's developed a small but determined steering committee which has developed membership categories and criteria as well as a Code of Conduct which looks dangerously close to that of the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). The stated mission is to move forward the industry of interactive gaming in Australia.
Ironically, even though the rest of the world sees only the forward progress in Australia, locals know that there are indeed a variety of challenges which might impede its progress. A federal "productivity" report will be addressing Internet gaming and may be a focal point for those who oppose the concept within the government, including some key elected officials. Some of the states are not advancing the national model as quickly as might have been expected which is cause for concern for many advocates. Conference goers also point to some "bad press" recently with headlines of "click the mouse, lose your house." Given the political and public relations challenges, those who want to advance the future of Internet gaming find themselves with a daunting task ahead of them.
While struggling with discussions about the membership criteria, dues structures, development of a business plan and budget, it was clear from the response that the idea of OLGAA is finally here and help is on the way for such an Australian-based organization.
IGN will be running the details on the plans for OLGAA when they become available.