With rumours running rampant that Facebook is thinking about getting into online gambling, anti-gaming advocates are up in arms. Senator Nick Xenophon, a strict anti-gambling politician, has also decided to take up the cause, vowing to fight Facebook’s plans to launch online casino games.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Nick Xenophon has actually approached Mark Zuckerberg about the social network’s plans to launch an online casino website. The politician claims that Facebook would become an anti-social network; he believes that the possible new gambling offering would fuel gambling addiction and encourage underage gambling, resulting in the opposite of social progression.
Xenophon has requested additional details about the potential gambling offering from Facebook. He believes that there may be a loophole in Australian gaming laws that would allow for residents to take part in the activities offered by the service, and Xenophon wants to ensure that the authorities will be able to get involved.
This seems to be an unnecessary measure at this moment, as Facebook has neither denied or confirmed the rumours of the new online gambling offering.
