An era in Australian poker may have come to an end in Darwin on Saturday with the final ANZPT event for 2011. A day after Danny Chevalier succeeded Tony Hachem as the tour’s Player of the Year, Jack Drake won the smallest ANZPT first prize ($36,480) in tour history after a five-day marathon comprising just 64 players.
But the future of this PokerStars-owned and sponsored tour (operated under the ancillary Global Poker Tours brand) remains uncertain in the wake of the Australian Federal Police’s announcement, in conjunction with the Department of Broadband, Communication and the Digital Economy and the Australian Communication and Media Authority, of the formation of a new “stringently regulatory regime with a view to deterring those engaging in this unregulated industry”.
The AFP National Manager Crime Operations Ramzi Jabbour told the Senate Inquiry into the Prevalence of Interactive and Online Gambling in Australia that “the AFP is committed to working collaboratively with other relevant Agencies to develop mechanisms to better regulate the industry and, where appropriate, investigate allegations of serious criminality.”
Mr Jabbour reiterated that under the Interactive Gaming Act 2011, it is a criminal act to:
• Provide an interactive gambling service to customers in Australia;
• Provide an Australian-based interactive gambling service to customers in designated countries; and
• Advertise an interactive gambling service.
PMA understands that, in an attempt to the avoid further scrutiny from Federal authorities, the ANZPT may be merged with the APPT, with PokerStars-sponsored events continuing at some but not all Australian casinos in 2012. Requests for a formal comment from PokerStars were denied.
$2200 ANZPT Darwin Main Event (64 players, eight paid; total prizepool $128,000)
1 Jack Drake $36,480
2 Brett Dannevig (Australia) $24,960
3 Fotios Manolakos (Australia) $16,640
4 Mark Taylor (Australia) $12,800
5 Jonathan Dangio (New Caledonia) $10,880
6 Jamie Hill $8960
7 Glenn Parry $7040
8 Danny Chevalier $5760
9 Aaron Benton $4480
© PokerMedia Australia 2011, reproduction prohibited without permission
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