Gambling participation and harm on the rise in Australia, new study reveals

Once a licence is granted, licensees must submit all proposed interactive games for assessment and approval by the Minister prior to being introduced in Queensland. UBET QLD Limited is currently the exclusive licence holder for race and sports wagering in Queensland. Only an eligible association can conduct charitable and non-profit games online, for profit. One of the primary objectives of the CNPG Act is to prevent individuals from obtaining a personal gain from the conduct of games such as raffles.

This makes the ban on all gambling advertising and inducements (Section 3.1.1) all the more important. These recommendations would make gambling much safer, but they will take several years to implement. In the meantime, governments should improve support services to help those suffering harm now. 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 Australia and make gambling safer. 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).

Young gamblers at risk

The federal government should assemble a National Taskforce and consider financial and other incentives to bring everyone to the table. For example, the federal government could take full responsibility for regulating online betting, while still enabling states to collect online betting revenue through their point-of-consumption taxes. State governments give away at least $1.2 billion in pokies tax concessions for clubs230 – more than enough to cover the cost of improving support services. There are two main reasons that Australian gambling regulation is so weak. The first is that state governments rely on the tax revenue from gambling.

2.2 Investigate the feasibility of a single universal pre-commitment system for gambling

While the policies being debated were more focused on money laundering risks than gambling harm, both major parties brought policies to the https://wavetechglobal.com/how-to-become-a-casino-dealer-australia/ table. The gambling industry will push back on these reforms by denying the problems and stoking community fears. But this report shows that their trumped-up claims don’t withstand scrutiny. Federal and state governments should brave the vested interests and work together in the interests of all Australians to make gambling a safer, better bet. Interactive gambling services such as online casinos, online slot machines and online wagering services that accept ‘in-play’ betting on sports events are prohibited by the Australian Government. ACMA is the government body responsible for the regulation of online industries in Australia.

• Loot boxes, in particular, are a common gambling-like feature in electronic games and have been linked to gambling problems (see Box 4).
• If you do not believe your proposed game fits within one of the categories below, you may wish to apply for an interactive gambling licence.
• The federal government has taken more than 14 months to respond to the inquiry, but leaks last month on the potential response231 sparked protracted debate in the media, parliament, and Labor’s own caucus – showing how widespread the public support for reform is.
• He said Australia needed to do more to regulate gambling, including limiting online gambling ads.
• There are two main reasons that Australian gambling regulation is so weak.

Gambling licences are a privilege granted by governments – they are not a right – and they do not override government responsibility to legislate in the best interests of the Australian people. Pre-commitment with maximum loss limits would prevent things getting out of hand. Limiting the sheer number of venues where pokies are present is more important than simply limiting the number of machines. While a destination model such as Western Australia’s is a long way off for the rest of the country,193 state governments should actively reduce the number of machines and venues. Gambling is one of Australia’s most politically powerful industries, which makes gambling reform high risk politically.

In many communities in NSW, particularly poorer communities, it’s difficult to find a venue that doesn’t have pokies (Figure 1.4). People who gamble, their families, and the broader community pay the price. Gambling can lead to financial and mental distress, relationship breakdown, family violence, and suicide. Pokies are more common in our suburbs than post boxes, ATMs, or public toilets.

The proliferation of pokies is a problem that state governments should chip away at over time, at the very least to avoid making things worse. Federal rules around lobbying and political donations are weak,180 enabling those with motivation and resources to have more say – and sway – over public policy than they should. Most venue-based consumer protections rely on individual staff to track gambling risk and know when and how to step in – a difficult task which staff have little incentive to undertake. It difficult to stop.107 And any value of these campaigns as a reminder is drowned out by the torrent of gambling advertising. The individualistic approach is promoted by the gambling industry.105 Blaming problems on a small group of ‘aberrant’ individuals absolves the industry of responsibility, and diminishes the case for stronger action by governments.

This top 5 per cent spend 10 times as much as the bottom 80 per cent combined. In parallel, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a universal pre-commitment system with maximum loss limits. Meanwhile, online betting has surged, particularly among young men, spurred by a barrage of gambling advertising. There are various types of online games that a person may wish to conduct in Queensland. If you do not believe your proposed game fits within one of the categories below, you may wish to apply for an interactive gambling licence.

Gambling normalisation starts young, and advertising is a major culprit. The federal government should ban all gambling advertising and inducements. That would go a long way to reducing Australians’ excessive exposure to gambling. Pokies and online betting are particularly addictive and harmful, leading to serious harm for hundreds of thousands of Australians. The industry contends that stronger regulation would push gamblers towards illegal gambling websites,259 which lack consumer protection measures.260 But the risk of illegal gambling is small compared with the known harm of the current environment.

State governments regulate casinos, pokies, the racing industry, and other land-based gambling, with different rules in different states. Australia’s gambling regulation is a mess and does little to reduce harm, let alone prevent it. Federal and state governments have different responsibilities, but neither are doing enough. Chapter 4 explores how governments can ensure reforms stick, by standing up to the vested interests, rebutting their self-interested claims, and coordinating reform efforts across jurisdictions.