A better bet: How Australia should prevent gambling harm

Offering a buyback option should reduce pokies numbers while giving the industry some choice in how they manage the impact of the mandatory scheme on their business. Buyback costs could be substantial if lots of machines are non-compliant and venues opt to surrender their licences. While this is unlikely – given how profitable pokies are216 – a substantial reduction in pokies numbers would come with great social benefits in reducing exposure to gambling,217 so governments should not shy away from the risk of a higher (one-off) cost. Preventing gambling harm will reduce the gambling industry’s profits, so governments need to be prepared to stand up to strong vested interest pushback. The industry has a track record of thwarting reforms, including by stoking community fears about unintended consequences. The federal government has responsibility for online gambling but is yet to step up and really own this role.

But people still cannot consistently self-exclude from all forms of gambling. This blog examines the legality of online casinos in Australia including the federal prohibition on online interactive gambling services, state and territory approved exceptions and the legality of overseas based online casino operators. There is a risk that some people in the grip of gambling addiction seek out unlicensed websites in a deliberate attempt to circumvent loss limits. But, under current regulations, legal websites are not much safer than illegal ones for heavy gamblers. Many legal gambling operators do not have effective safeguards in place to prevent harm (Chapter 2). And disquiet about the proliferation of online gambling harm triggered the 2023 Murphy Inquiry, which made 31 recommendations supported by multi-partisan consensus – a rare feat.

VVIP15 Australia

New data on gambling in Australia reveals that around 3 million people are engaged in some form of harmful gambling, which is linked to financial stress, family violence and poor mental health. The affiliate relationships offered by online casinos — and the promotion of gambling they represent — have created a “paradigm shift” in live streaming culture, he said. Under Australian law, online casinos are required to block Australian users from accessing their services. Australian gambling statistics is a comprehensive set of statistics related to gambling in Australia covering the entire range of legalised Australian gambling products. The publication has been produced since 1984 and is compiled annually by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office in co-operation with all Australian state and territory governments.

• This will go a long way to preventing harm from the two most risky and widespread forms of gambling.
• People who gamble, their families, and the broader community pay the price in their finances, health, and wellbeing.
• Offering a buyback option should reduce pokies numbers while giving the industry some choice in how they manage the impact of the mandatory scheme on their business.
• Showed how effective the gambling industry is in influencing Australian politics, punching well above its weight.

Gaming

This makes the ban on all gambling advertising and inducements (Section 3.1.1) all the more important. If Australian governments are serious about preventing gambling harm, they will need to bolster their efforts and take action to both reduce the pervasiveness of gambling in https://forum.ksavinetworkinventory.com/viewtopic.php?t=4871 Australia and make gambling safer. The gambling industry’s political power lies in its ability to influence elections. They can make their presence known locally, with pokies providers in almost every electorate, stoke community fears about loss of jobs and services (Chapter 4), and they exert financial influence too. Mandatory pre-commitment with upper limits on losses could provide that safety net (see Chapter 3).

1 Australia has the highest losses in the world

It is all part of an online game show run by Shuffle — an Australian-run online casino that is banned in its own backyard. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is the primary enforcement body responsible for monitoring compliance and addressing violations of the IGA by overseas providers. ACMA has the power to block illegal offshore gambling websites, impose civil penalties, and notify border protection agencies to disrupt the activities of offending operators. It also collaborates with international regulators to combat illegal gambling operations.

In parallel, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a universal system across all gambling environments. Most other regulations at best aim to slow the rate at which people lose money. Mandatory pre-commitment with maximum loss limits would ensure gamblers no longer lose more than they can afford.

Compliance with the mandatory scheme should be a condition of holding a licence. Mandatory pre-commitment for pokies should be a priority given that pokies are a particularly harmful form of gambling (see Chapter 1). Gambling donations flow overwhelmingly to the major parties, who are most likely to form government.162 Clubs and hotels with pokies interests are the biggest gambling donors, followed by casinos (Figure 2.2).

And gambling donations show a pattern of spiking when the ‘political heat’ rises, on pokies reform in particular (Figure 2.3 and Box 2). The second is that gambling is such a politically powerful industry, with many powerful allies, governments are scared to take them on. This report mainly focuses on reducing the harm caused by pokies and betting. Other forms of gambling can undoubtedly be harmful, but are either lower risk113 or less common,114 so receive less attention in this report. In parallel, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a universal pre-commitment system with maximum loss limits. That would go a long way to reducing Australians’ excessive exposure to gambling.