Nick Xenophon went a little further on the weekend, saying that Mario Kart had been used as a vehicle for gambling.
“Mario Kart is a fantastic game that many millions of people around the world have enjoyed, but there are legitimate questions to ask about a kids game being used as a vehicle for online bookmakers and for gambling.”
Jack Thompson, for those who aren’t in the know, was a US attorney whom took umbrage with sex & violence in video games. His major beef was with Rockstar and their flagship title at the time: Grand Theft Auto 3. They even made a movie about it, starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Nick Xenophon is a newly re-elected senator for South Australia and leader of the “Nick Xenophon Team” party. He got where he is by continually banging on about pokies effectively being the downfall of society and was (is) largely unknown outside of Adelaide. Just like FruChocs and Frog Cakes.
In the wake of some serious press coverage over the recent CS:GO betting debacle he’s going full guns blazing down this whacky path.
I’m all for some proper legislation but if you click through and read the Kotaku breakdown he goes from supporting a local Mario Kart championship to essentially labelling it as an ‘enabler’.
Source: Nick Xenophon Is Linking Mario Kart To Gambling Now | Kotaku Australia