The Australian moratorium was finally passed yesterday in the Senate by a 33-26 vote. A bid in October ended in a tie vote, however, significant changes to the bill were successful in swaying enough votes to get it done. Proponents of the policy looked to Green Senator Bob Brown to throw his support their way. The turning factor in winning his support was an amendment clearing the way for sports wagering in Victoria and Tasmania.
The necessary amendments were introduced and debated Tuesday. "What we are witnessing here tonight with the reintroduction of the Interactive Gambling (Moratorium) Bill 2000 is coalition hypocrisy on a major scale," ACT Senator Kate Lundy said. "The coalition so desperately want to pass some kind of legislation about gambling online that they have sacrificed any claimed principle in order to garner cross-bench support."
Tuesday's efforts to appease Brown were successful, and the necessary amendment to the bill exempting horse racing, harness racing, greyhound racing and sports events, as well as expanding online betting to TABs in Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria, was passed by a 35-30 vote. That cleared the way for the bill's passage Wednesday, dashing the hopes of Australian operators already online or headed there in the near future.
The amendment debates are available in PDF format:
Part 1
Part 2