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A BAN on internet gambling is technically possible, and the enforcement costs could be borne by service providers, a draft report suggests.
The draft from the National Office for the Information Economy says the Federal Government has many technical options for restricting access to internet content, but none would be 100 per cent effective.
NOIE's long-awaited report on the feasibility of prohibiting interactive gambling is now being reviewed by the Federal Government.
A draft obtained by The Australian says there are four viable options for supporting a ban by blocking access to offshore gambling sites, each involving some form of filtering.
The Internet Industry Association said such moves would greatly increase the costs for ISPs, who would need to pass costs on to consumers.
"We will fight this tooth and nail, and we don't buy this view that a ban is technically feasible," executive director Peter Coroneos said.
"Bans through filtering would increase access costs to the internet for all Australians."
Other non-technical prohibition options through legal sanctions or prohibiting credit card financial transactions would not be effective, the draft report says.
It says the cost of tracking financial transactions is prohibitive and would be passed on to consumers.
But implementing and maintaining a ban based on filtering would also cost millions of dollars.
"If the Commonwealth does require service providers to bear the cost of enforcing a ban, it is possible providers will ultimately pass the costs of enforcing a ban on gambling onto consumers," he said.
"This could in turn adversely effect Australia's role as a leading nation in the uptake of e-commerce.
"Furthermore, given the highly competitive nature of the internet industry in Australia, it is possible carrying additional costs of this magnitude could affect the competitiveness of smaller players."
The draft report also effectively rules out an export-only option for Australian-run gambling services, and questions the exclusion of wagering.
Opposition IT spokeswoman Kate Lundy said it was inconsistent and absurd for NOIE to say a ban was feasible, but would not be 100 per cent effective and would cost millions.
Even if the Government was successful in its bid to ban interactive gambling, it would take a least one year before gamblers were stopped from accessing such services, the NOIE report says.
www.noie.gov.au, www.iia.net.au
The draft from the National Office for the Information Economy says the Federal Government has many technical options for restricting access to internet content, but none would be 100 per cent effective.
NOIE's long-awaited report on the feasibility of prohibiting interactive gambling is now being reviewed by the Federal Government.
A draft obtained by The Australian says there are four viable options for supporting a ban by blocking access to offshore gambling sites, each involving some form of filtering.
The Internet Industry Association said such moves would greatly increase the costs for ISPs, who would need to pass costs on to consumers.
"We will fight this tooth and nail, and we don't buy this view that a ban is technically feasible," executive director Peter Coroneos said.
"Bans through filtering would increase access costs to the internet for all Australians."
Other non-technical prohibition options through legal sanctions or prohibiting credit card financial transactions would not be effective, the draft report says.
It says the cost of tracking financial transactions is prohibitive and would be passed on to consumers.
But implementing and maintaining a ban based on filtering would also cost millions of dollars.
"If the Commonwealth does require service providers to bear the cost of enforcing a ban, it is possible providers will ultimately pass the costs of enforcing a ban on gambling onto consumers," he said.
"This could in turn adversely effect Australia's role as a leading nation in the uptake of e-commerce.
"Furthermore, given the highly competitive nature of the internet industry in Australia, it is possible carrying additional costs of this magnitude could affect the competitiveness of smaller players."
The draft report also effectively rules out an export-only option for Australian-run gambling services, and questions the exclusion of wagering.
Opposition IT spokeswoman Kate Lundy said it was inconsistent and absurd for NOIE to say a ban was feasible, but would not be 100 per cent effective and would cost millions.
Even if the Government was successful in its bid to ban interactive gambling, it would take a least one year before gamblers were stopped from accessing such services, the NOIE report says.
www.noie.gov.au, www.iia.net.au