Just like anywhere else in the world, people in Australia like to gamble. Not all of them, of course. But enough do to warrant gambling legislation and regulatory measures to ensure the government gets its fair share of revenue spent towards gambling. While land-based casino gambling and sports betting account for the bulk of regulated gambling in Australia, there is “betting activity” that is still unaccountable for.

Take a guess which one that is. Right - since Online Casino Suite is an informational online gambling website, it’s safe to say that I’m referring to online gambling in Australia. In all truth, it simply is ironic that online gambling is illegal in Australia, for one of the first government regulated online casinos to be launched and take real money wagers was an Australia-based destination.

And that’s the kicker. Even though Lasseters is based in Australia, not to mention the fact it is the largest casino operation in Australia’s brick ‘n mortar gambling industry, the Lasseters online casino is not allowed to take bets from Australian citizens. That’s almost as ironic as Alana Morissette’s fly in her Chardonnay.

But here is where things could be changing in the near future. Now that the Australian Federal Productivity Commission (interesting name for a commission, don’t you think?) has released the findings of a study on how gambling has been impacting Australia over the years, policy toward online gambling could be overturned. In fact, the productivity commission has recommended the “online casino ban” be overturned based on the findings of the study, not to mention the fact that the ban is legally questionable and ineffective at protecting Australian citizens and preventing them from gambling online.

4% to be exact. According to the report, 4% of the Australian gambling market is now going to online gambling, which is likely a low estimate at that. Besides the fact that the government could stand to economically gain from taxing that money, the commission says that choosing to enforce an online casino ban is likely to draw lawsuits from legitimate foreign operators on the receiving end of the government’s discriminatory policies.

The commission went on to say that so long as online gambling is unregulated, credit card betting will go unchecked and problem/underage gambling cases will rise. Just when you thought this only happens in the U.S., more evidence supports regulation of online casino sites. Lets hope that both the U.S. and Australia take heed and exercise some good sense.

Flagship online casino for the English Harbour Gaming Ventures Group (EHGV, English Harbour Casino (a fitting name, don’t you think?), has launched four new online casino games, expanding their online portfolio to well over 100 online casino games, 60+ of which are online slots. All four games are slot machines, and are available on both the no-download Flash and download versions of Vegas Technology Software’s cutting edge platform that has been certified for RNG fairness by Certified Fair Gambling (CFG).

The Real Deal slots game probably stands the greatest potential to become one of the more popular slots out there today. It has five-reels and twenty-five paylines, which is a nice middle ground for online slots. It doesn’t get too expensive, while still offering the chance for heavy payouts. What makes this slot stand out are the bonus features. The Real Deal bonus round actually offers a chance at winning 10,000x one’s wager. And with the multiplier’s and scatters offered, we’re talking about some big winnings, especially for high rollers.

All three other new games each offer 20 paylines of action and five reels. “Safari” is themed on the plains of Africa and features bonuses, scatters and wilds. “Super Market” is a fun game themed on the excitement of grocery shopping, and also offers a generous bonus round. “Winter Wonderland” is just in time for the holiday season and features several winning symbol combinations and a generous bonus round as well. For more details on each game, visit the EnglishHarbour.com homepage and click on the links under the “New Games” section.

About English Harbour Casino: English Harbour is one of the EHGV’s longest running online casinos. Launched in 1997, English Harbour has won numerous awards over the years from online gambling magazines, watchdogs and reputable portal sites. Licensed in Antigua and Barbuda, English Harbour Casino offers new players outstanding bonus incentives, including a four-part welcome bonus worth up to $800 Free and $750 in weekly reload bonuses. For more information, read the English Harbour Casino Review.