Opponents of legalized Internet gambling in Australia yesterday got what U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte and his supporters have sought unsuccessfully for months: a second chance. And they made the best of it.
A bill to impose a moratorium on the issuing of Internet gambling licenses failed in a tie vote in October, but a second go at it proved fruitful. The moratorium measure was passed by the Senate yesterday by a 33-26 vote.
Since failing to pass the bill the first time around, the government reached a compromise to allow Victorian and Tasmanian TABs to take online bets on races, bringing them into line with other states. The moratorium effectively bans online casino operations.
Details haven't filtered in yet, but it appears that the swing factor this time around can be attributed to a divided vote among the Democrats.
IGN will publish more information, including a copy of the bill, as it's made available