In the end, it was a photo finish. In the administration’s final furlong, the Gambling Regulation Bill came up on the rails and just got over the line.
It’s a victory for the coalition and James Browne, the junior justice minister — failure to legislate for gambling in the internet age was a national embarrassment. And while it has been universally welcomed — nobody can actually publicly oppose laws that reduce harm — there’s still plenty of quibbling with the result.
In particular, the gambling industry and its indentured servant, horse racing, are disappointed that their heavily backed “unintended consequences” failed to make it into the frame.
