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Cairns To Become the Australian Vegas

Ever wonder which Australian city could one day become the Australian equivalent of Las Vegas? Well you can out your mind at ease because in some recent decisions made by leaders of the Australian tourism industry cairns has been chosen to become the countries centre of poker machines.

More detailed information in the below article sources from News online:

CAIRNS would become Australia’s answer to Las Vegas under a controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines.

The proposal is to be aired tomorrow in Brisbane at one of the tourism industry’s key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

It is being put forward by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has spent years rallying against the spread of poker machines.

But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Vegas-style gambling strip in Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new “Aus Vegas” to be built in the region.

The Beaudesert MP first outlined his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his maiden speech to State Parliament.

It would copy the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines.

Under the “Aus Vegas” proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become shareholders in the new enterprise. The state’s four major casinos would be exempt.

The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with poker machine revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field.

“The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting,” Mr McLindon said.

“It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home.”

But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into a “Sin City”, making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation’s gambling problems.

Pokie Licence Sold For Over 1 Billion Dollars

The Victorian Government has raised almost $1 billion from the auction of poker machine licences.

Gaming Minister Tony Robinson said $981 million had been raised during the bidding process for Victoria’s 27,500 poker machines.

The much needed fund raised from this sale will now to funnelled into areas such as the health care system and bushfire initiatives.

The pokie licence was for a ten year contract and was set to be auctioned off, the bidding ended/closed yesterday at midday.

Mr Robinson said the new venue owner model would usher in an era of more responsible gaming with stricter controls and no “super profits” for operators.

Another Reason To Play Pokies Online

It was recently discovered that many of Australia largest poker machine companies have been doing some unusual business in an attempt to reduce the tax payable on their income. It is things like this that remind me of how online pokie sites are able to provide players so much higher payout rates. The costs for running poker machines in pub, clubs and bars in Australia is forever increasing however online gaming site costs are consistently being reduced.

The below article sourced from news.com.au makes light of a number of Australian poker machines operators and some of the strategies they are implementing in an effort to reduce their extremely high running costs.

AUSTRALIA’S biggest pokies operator faces an investigation over claims it has avoided more than $15 million in tax through controversial and secretive arrangements with sports organisations, including several AFL clubs.

In one deal, pokies firm Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) has claimed a lower club tax rate for a gaming venue linked to the North Melbourne Giants – a former NBL basketball club that ceased to exist 11 years ago.

ALH has received a $167,839 tax discount and has claimed $103,912 in community benefit because the gaming area at its Richmond Tavern venue is listed as being operated by the defunct basketball club.

Almost $96,000 of the community benefit were operating and auditing costs.

The North Melbourne Giants Ltd is registered to the same address as ALH and lists the company as its contact in files sent to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission .

After learning that the Richmond Tavern holds a club licence, the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation says it will investigate claims that ALH is exploiting its venues’ club status.

AHL chief executive Ross Blair-Holt said the company complied with all legislation.

A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has found ALH, which is a joint venture between Woolworths and pokies kingpin Bruce Mathieson, has struck deals to operate more than 660 pokies in up to 10 venues registered as clubs.

The deals include arrangements with the Collingwood, Richmond, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn football clubs.

The deals allow ALH raise its share of pokies beyond the cap of about 35 per cent of machines each operator is allowed.

Under Victorian gaming law, commercial operators of pokies pubs pay a 33.3 per cent tax on gambling revenue.

Clubs get an 8.3 per cent discount on the pokies tax and pay only 25 per cent to the State Government if they can demonstrate a “community benefit”.

Under the deals, ALH owns most of the venues and leases the pokies area to clubs. It then charges the clubs rent and a management fee to operate the machines.

Thank You Message

I got to give it to you guys, I trawled the internet for ages looking for some Australian based poker machines but was getting nowhere. There’s 45 minutes of my life I won’t get back.

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Thanks again,
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Support Help Responce

Playing poker machines online is so much easier and more convenient than playing in real casinos. The payout rates are undoubtedly higher. I have been playing pokies for over 5 years in my local pub and in my experience there is not a pub, club or casino that would be paying out even half of what the online machines you have referred me to are.

The fact that all the sites you listed also deal in Australian currency have all the traditional games I am used to is definitely a good added bonus. I am not sure I would have found these sites had I not come across your site.

Thanks for all the help answering my questions as well I much appreciate your time.

Jason

Depositing Funds into Your Account

Gaming sites supported and recommended by Online Pokies Australia use the following methods for depositing funds into your account. Note that while the sites mostly use the same options and the same procedures there are some variations, so check the site that you prefer for their exact accepted methods:

Below you will find descriptions and instructions for each payment method. To pay using of the third party payment methods below, simply click the “Banking” link on the online gaming website, select your chosen method and follow the prompts.

CREDIT CARD

In order to deposit funds to your Cash account, please follow the directions below.

  1. Sign in to your account with your chosen online gaming site as normal.
  2. Click on the CASHIER link from the top menu of the games window.
  3. When the Cashier menu appears, choose the ACCOUNT DEPOSIT link.
  4. When the DEPOSIT page appears, choose the CREDIT CARD DEPOSIT link.
  5. The DEPOSIT VIA CREDIT CARD page will appear. Enter all your credit card details and the amount that you wish to deposit.
  6. Upon completion of your credit card details and deposit amount, please click on the SUBMIT button.

Many sites use a verification process before linking the credit card details you supply with the online account you have set up. The most standard means of doing this verification is by depositing a small amount into the account linked to the credit card the details for which you have supplied. So that the gaming site may verify that you are indeed the card owner, they will ask you to quote the exact amount that appears on your bank statement to the representatives at the gaming site – usually just the Customer Support section. After you have done this, your account and credit card link will be operational and you will be able to play.

DEBIT CARD

Most sites accept Maestro, Visa Devit, Visa Electron and Solo debit cards. If you feel uncomfortable giving your debit card details out over the internet, the gaming sites allow you to submit by fax or by telephone. Click on the “Banking Link” and follow the prompts as above and enter your debit card details. Approved transactions will be debited directly from your account so that you can continue to play uninterrupted.

DIRECT DEBIT

Direct debit is easy and secure. Along with credit cards transactions, it’s probably the method you’re most familiar with. You simply set up an account with your online gaming site – follow the “Banking” link and then click on “Direct Debit” or “Direct Bank Transfer”. You will be provided with the details necessary to make the transfer using your online banking. While there are many advantages to the above third party methods, many people still find it simplest and easiest to pay for their online gaming the way they pay their phone bills and electricity bills. Direct debit is a great, simple way to pay online without the bother of setting up different accounts.

UKASH

Ukash is the new way to spend money on the Internet – without using a credit or debit card. You can buy Ukash at 3,600 epay retailers, including petrol stations and convenience stores across Australia. Ukash vouchers are available in amounts of AUD $10, $20, $50, $100, $200 and $500. Each voucher has a unique code that is simple for users to provide when making a payment. The big bonus of paying with Ukash is the anonymity. You can spend Ukash online without providing any of your financial details, and so you can shop online, or play pokies online, without worrying about the risk of online identity theft or having your bank account hacked.
In addition to purchasing Ukash vouchers from epay outlets, you can also use the Ukash Online Solution. The Ukash Online Solution allows customers to purchase Ukash online directly from their bank account (supported by all major banks). This is a secure online transaction which provides comprehensive authentication and verification technology to online consumers.

CLICK2PAY

Making purchases using your Click2Pay account is simple. When you sign up for an account you’ll receive a Personal Account Number. The combination of your e-mail address and your Personal Account Number will be required when making purchases at online casinos or other merchants.
All of your transactions are logged. You can view your transactions by logging into your Click2Pay account on the www.click2pay.com and going to the Transactions tab. You’ll find a listing here of your most recent transactions as well as your purchases.
In order to pay at an online casino using the Click2Pay banking option you’ll need your Click2Pay user name which will be the e-mail address you registered with and your Click2Pay Personal Account Number. If you have forgotten your Personal Account Number you can retrieve this information very easily by selecting the Account tab and clicking on the Security Setting link on the right hand site of the Click2Pay website.

CLICK AND BUY

When you register with ClickandBuy, you specify your preferred means of payment. This might be your bank account or a credit card etc. To prevent any unnecessary inconvenience, ClickandBuy always reviews your preferred means of payment in conjunction with your bank. They recommend that you verify your chosen means of payment so that they can offer you the best service possible. For example, with a verified bank account you get a wider range of purchasing options than with a payment method not verified by ClickandBuy. Check the ClickandBuy website for more information on this.
If you want to create more than one means of payment, don’t forget to choose one as your default so that ClickandBuy can automatically preselect it for you during the payment process. Otherwise your payment may not be completed correctly.
You don’t even necessarily have to deposit money in your ClickandBuy account. To help you shop online conveniently, Click and Buy also supports standing orders or can charge your credit card directly.

NETELLER

NETELLER is the number one international payment processor for online casinos. According to their head office, about 95% of international gambling online offers this method.

To open a NETELLER account, they need to be able to verify your identity. They follow strict guidelines to protect your account, but once you’ve gone through the initial hassle you can rest assured that your information and money are safe. After you connect your bank account to NETELLER you will be able to transfer money back and forth between them. NETELLER also offers instacash which means you can instantly transfer money from your bank account to NETELLER. Even better, many online casinos offer instacash with their software. If you download it like this, you can avoid the 8.9% fee that NETELLER charges for the instacash service and convenience. The funds will generally come out of your account on the following business day.

When you win at a casino, the money is placed in your NETELLER account, and you may either use it for deposit again into another casino, or transfer it back to your bank account. Generally speaking, transfers will take 24-48 hours excluding weekends to go back to your bank. The quickest way to get paid online is through NETELLER because it’s most convenient for casinos, sports books, poker rooms and bingo halls. They only need to verify your identity once and can pay you immediately, which is preferable to some people than waiting days or even more than a week in some cases for payments by cheque or ACH. If you find that you really like NETELLER, they even offer a NETELLER debit card which can be used at merchants or at your local automatic teller machine (ATM). NETELLER charges a small fee for this service, which is worth it for those who find they really like the NETELLER system and who are pushed for time.

PAYSAFECARD

Paysafecard works in largely the same way as Ukash does. You can purchase Paysafecard Vouchers in epay retailers in denominations of AUD $10, $20, $50, $100, $200 and $500. Each voucher has a 16 digit code that the user enters when making a payment. As with Ukash, the bonus is anomimity. You can make purchases online safely ad securely without wondering whether someone is peeking over your shoulder and gaining access to your information, and your money.
In 2008 epay processed over 700 million payment transactions with a total face value of $11 billion. Epay’s product portfolio includes top-up or recharge services for prepaid mobile airtime, prepaid debit cards and e-wallets; payment services for bills, road tolls and money transfer; and marketing and distribution services for gift cards, digital content and transport tickets. In March 2009, paysafecard was named the ‘Best Prepaid Company’ outside the United States of America by the global prepaid industry publication Paybefore.

USEMYBANK

UseMyBank is an online direct debit payment system. UseMyBank Services is secure, convenient and easy to use! It works with your existing online banking service, and there is nothing to download or install on your computer:

  • Shop for goods and services at an online merchant.
  • Select UseMyBank Services when you are ready to pay.
  • Select the Financial Institution from which you want to pay
  • Login to online banking with your usual user ID and password
  • Approve the payment to complete your purchase
  • Click “return to merchant”
  • And you’re done – it’s as easy as that!

UseMyBank allows payments in real time, and is available to more than 1.6 billion online banking customers around the world. Their anti-fraud technology ensures the safety of your information and money at all times and in all transactions.
Click here for a complete list of countries and banks that currently support UseMyBank .

ECOCARD

EcoCard is an online eWallet service that allows players to store money in an online account, then move it to and from their online casino accounts. Similarly to NETELLER, EcoCard allows to you request an EcoCard debit card, which can then be used to purchase items wherever MasterCard is accepted. This is a feature that eWallets like Moneybookers and Click2Pay do not offer, and that some people find very useful. Unlike NETELLER, EcoCard’s plastic debit cards are eco friendly!

The EcoCard has also just launched the ‘EcoCard Money Manager’ iPhone app. The EcoCard Money Manager app gives EcoCard users mobile access to the EcoCard payment platform, enabling customers to deposit funds, make purchases, apply and fund a Virtual Prepaid MasterCard®, and make withdrawals whilst one the move using their iPhone or iTouch. The app supports 23 currencies and allows account holders to check their real time balance and transactions and view their currency accounts in one place. Very convenient!

ENTROPAY

An EntroPay Account is a prepaid account. The account gives you an EntroPay Virtual Visa Card which you can use to deposit money for online gaming, or n fact make online purchases wherever Visa is accepted. You can load funds (deposit money) onto an EntroPay Virtual Card using your regular credit or debit card.
An EntroPay Virtual Visa Card is a prepaid Virtual Visa Card that is available to anyone worldwide. The EntroPay Virtual Visa Card works just like a normal Visa card when you make online purchases. However, it is not tied to a bank account. Instead you manage it by logging on to EntroPay and using the online card management system. An EntroPay Virtual Card may be used online wherever Visa is accepted. There are no finance or interest charges associated with an EntroPay Virtual Card and because the card is prepaid, spending is limited to the amount of funds loaded onto the card.
EntroPay has a fast registration process that allows you to skip a lengthy application process and get your Virtual Visa card in just a few clicks. This feature securely transfers the information that you have already entered at the online gaming website to the EtroPay website, eliminating the need for you to input your details all over again. Opening an EntroPay account and getting a Virtual Visa card can be achieved in just three quick and easy steps:

  1. Provide your personal information. This includes your name, date of birth and identification.
  2. Enter the details of the credit or debit card you would like to use to transfer money your EntroPay account.
  3. Decide how much to deposit to your Virtual Visa card and make the deposit.

It’s that easy! EntroPay automatically populates all the other information and you just have to check it for accuracy. Once your information and account is confirmed by EntroPay, your Virual Visa card is issued and you’re ready to spend.

EZIPAY

EZIpay is also known by the name “Payspark”. EZIpay or Payspark is an intERnet payment solution designed specifically for online gaming. It started in 2002 when credit card companies started rejecting transactions made on online gaming sites. It makes it easy to make fast and secure transactions online, specifically depositing and taking winnings in cash. EXIpay is not an e-wallet. It’s a real account in a real bank with two sub accounts – one for inteRnet usage such as online gaming, and one for regular ATM withdrawals. So long as your account is active and it has sufficient funds, and the transaction doesn’t trigger security warnings, your transaction won’t be rejected like it might be with a credit card.
You do need to be aware that if you haven’t used your account for 90 days, then you will be charged a monthly administration fee of $10 (US Dollars). Also, if your account is inactive for 90 days and has zero balance, then that account will be closed.
A PaySpark EZIPay account is very easy to set up, and it is free to sign up. Once you have entered your relevant details, and the account has been approved, the PaySpark EZIPay system is ready for use. Aside from the above mentioned administration fee, EZIpay does not charge any fees, and except for the cost of transferring money to the account, there are no charges.

Once it is established the online gaming site you have chosen accepts EZIPay, it is very simple to make purchases or withdrawals using the PaySpark EZIPay system. Once you are logged on to your gaming site of choice and you wish to deposit funds, simply click on the EZIPay button on the website. This will lead you to a log on page where you enter your EZIpay user details and select your account. These steps are followed in order to log on to your EZIpay account. After you log on, enter the amount to be withdrawn from the EZIPay account and click on ‘Finish’ to complete the transaction. Transactions are not immediate, and it takes some time before the amounts reflect in your EZIpay account. All transactions can be viewed at any time using the website.

MONEYBOOKERS

Moneybookers is a tool that allows you to safely send and receive money via email – instantly. With this service you can send money from your credit/debit card, transfer money to and from your bank account. Use Moneybookers to send money to someone, in this case your chosen online gaming site, or when someone needs to send money to you. You create an account (click here to go to the site and open a Moneybookers account), and then transfer money. Then you’re ready to make quick and easy payments by email.
Here’s how to deposit funds into your Moneybookers account:

  1. Register an account by clicking on the link above.
  2. You must fund your account. The most common way to fund your account is via bank transfer: Go to: ‘Upload Funds’. Select “bank transfer” as a payment method . You will be provided with bank details and your customer ID which is the reference for your transfer. Now, you have to instruct your bank to process the transaction. Make sure to enter the transaction ID OR your login email in the reference field. Check the Moneybookers website here www.moneybookers.com for more options if you do not wish to fund your account via bank transfer.
  3. As soon as the funds are credited to your account, you can go ahead and send payments to anyone with an email address by simply following the links on your online gaming site, or clicking the “Send Money” tab on the Moneybookers site.

What is a “bet limit”?

The account that you set up with the online casino of your choice will normally have what’s called a “bet limit”. This function means that you as a player can nominate the total amount of money you want to spend on wagers over a thirty day period, and the account will limit spending accordingly. If you do not select a personal bet limit, a default bet limit will be established for you. This is usually around $10,000. Note that a bet limit of $10,000 does not mean you cannot spend more than $10,000 in the thirty day period. It means that you will not be allowed to lose more than $10,000 of your own deposits. For example, if your bet limit was set at $5,000 and you played $7,000 and lost $5,000, then the system would not allow you to bet further as you had already reached your limit of losses from your deposits. You would need to wait until the bet limit period of thirty days had expired before placing further bets. Also note that funds that you win and bet again to not contribute to the bet limit as they do not constitute your initial deposits. You may play those winnings without influencing your bet limit.

You may decrease your bet limit at any time. If you wish to increase your bet limit however, you will need to email the site administrator stating the amount you wish to increase the limit by. Most sites have a mandatory “cooling off” period, usually of seven days, before the increase comes into effect. While this system may seem frustrating or unnecessary if you’re a responsible gamer, these checks help prevent problem gambling, which can become a problem for some people. Read our responsible gambling section of the Frequently Asked Questions if you want more information on how to play online pokies sensibly and responsibly. Remember that the point is to have fun and make some money and that if gambling is a problem for you, you’re probably not doing either of these things.

How do I download and play the games?

Getting started with online pokies is simple and easy and requires just a few moments of your time to download the necessary software. Before you download the software, we recommend that you have a read through of the other questions in our Frequently Asked Questions section to give you a good idea of which games are good to play, how to go about getting bigger payouts and ways to gamble responsibly. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to download and play! The sites listed on Online Pokies Australia site generally have the same requirements (minor differences will exist but these can be discovered easily on the sites of the games themselves). You will need a PC with the following specifications or greater:

Windows:    Intel Pentium Processor (we recommend Pentium II or higher)                                                                  64mb RAM
Mac:        Power Macintosh PC Processor (we recommend G3 or higher)                                                               64mb RAM

You will need Adobe Flash 8 or higher.

In terms of internet browsers, you will need to be running Firefox version 3.6 or higher, Internet Explorer 8 or higher, the most recent version of AOL or Google Chrome. You will probably find it easier working with Internet Explorer and may receive error messages from time to time if working with a different browser, but if you’re comfortable with one particular browser and have a clear preference, then just go ahead and continue using that one – any problems you experience will be minor and probably won’t even occur. If you do have problems, please report them to our technical staff who will endeavour to assist you and to resolve the problem.

Once you’ve got all of the above sorted out, you’re ready to download. Just click on the link on our site to the Australian gaming site you want to use. They will have a “Download” link for the software you need to play their games. Just click on the link and follow the prompts. You may need to restart your computer after downloading before you can play. Easy!

Your money and online pokies

A lot of people are wary of playing online pokie games because of uncertainty regarding the security of their money. In fact, with a few basic and common sense precautions taken, online pokies are considerably safer than real casinos. In real casinos, or in pokie rooms in pubs and bars, you have to carry around your money or tokens with you – often in pretty large quantities. Add in some drinking (or a lot of drinking, depending) and a lot of other people, also drinking, who you don’t know or trust, and you’ve got a recipe for losing your money. In fact, pubs and bars are one of the places you’re most likely to get your wallet stolen. If your attention is focused on playing a pokie machine, it’s even more likely to happen. Compare this to playing in the safety and comfort of your own home, and it looks a little different. However, some people are still wary of online transactions and online casinos. Considering the rise in online financial crime, it’s wise to be security conscious and take care of what you do with your money, and to whom you provide your financial details. However, you should also be aware of the safety precautions taken by online casinos, and in fact nearly all companies offering online transactions, such as Ebay or Amazon or probably even your local supermarket.

Thanks to their level of ease and convenience, online payments and transactions have become hugely popular over the last five to ten years and are now extremely common. Online transactions with reputable sites and companies are protected with the most advanced and comprehensive security software that exists.

When you make a purchase with your credit card in a store or a casino or bar, there’s the chance that someone will see your details and make a note of them to abuse later. In safe and secure online transactions, there’s no one that can see this information.

An online casino will require you to make a deposit of funds into the account you have set up with that casino. Usually an online transaction company acts as the third party and mediates the transaction. An example of such a company is Virtual Exchange, but there are many. You will set up an account with the third party mediator company using your credit card or direct debit or another online payment account such as Paypal. Then you can transfer money to your casino account from your third party account and start playing.

There are a few simple steps you can take to further ensure the security of your transactions:

Firstly, do a bit of online research for yourself about the company or the website asking you for your credit card details. Large, well known online casinos are going to be very security conscious, as they want people to feel secure and to come back. Likewise, small unknown casinos might just pop up for a few days or a week, and then disappear again with everyone’s money. It will be pretty easy to find information on the larger, reputable casinos. Another good tip is to do a search with the name of the company along with words like “fraud” or “scam” – this will turn up any articles that other people might have written to help people avoid the scams they were victimized by.

Secondly, make sure that the company takes all the security measures necessary for safe online transactions. This will be easy to find as reputable and trustworthy sites want to reassure consumers and will make this information easy to find and verify. Just click on the “security” link, or similar. If the website doesn’t have this information accessible, this is a good warning sign not to spend your money there.

These common sense steps take just a few minutes and will give you peace of mind. Although it’s true that there are a lot of scammers out there online, these steps will make it very unlikely that you will fall victim to them. And after all, there are a lot of scammers out there in the real world too, and that doesn’t mean you’re staying home and hiding your money under the bed. There’s a small amount of risk in every transaction you make; be aware of them but don’t let them stop you making reasonable and rational choices.