Financial stress, family tension, and loneliness drive vulnerable Australians to gamble more, often those already experiencing the greatest hardship. It’s been 845 days since Peta Murphy’s groundbreaking report gave us a roadmap for change. Get access to the full suite of content and features from Australia’s leading independent thoroughbred industry publication. Australia’s biggest online bookmaker has received a fine in excess of $300,000 after an email issue saw it fail to deliver mandatory monthly activity statements to over 6000 customers. It was also recommended that the federal government empower the eSafety Commissioner to issue binding removal, link-deletion, app-removal, and ISP-blocking notices for illegal operators. Beyond that, there is also major concerns raised about consumer protections and responsible gambling practices.
Mandatory pre-commitment with maximum loss limits would ensure gamblers no longer lose more than they can afford. The federal government should establish a national pre-commitment system for online gambling, and state governments should roll out state-wide pre-commitment schemes for pokies. The federal government should establish a national mandatory pre-commitment system across all online gambling – including online betting, phone gambling services, online lotteries, and online Keno – with maximum loss limits. For those who choose to gamble, mandatory pre-commitment with maximum loss limits would ensure they no longer lose more than they can afford.
How much do Australians lose on gambling each year?
Who is the biggest gambler in the world?
- 1. Kerry Packer. The Australian tycoon Kerry Packer gained his fame as the wealthiest man in the country from his roles as a media executive and high-risk gambler.
- Tony Bloom.
- Bill Benter.
- Edward Thorp.
- Dan Bilzerian.
- Phil Ivey.
This fund invests in programs, initiatives and activities that seek to prevent and minimise gambling harm. Over the past year, our Voices have campaigned for gambling reform by sharing their stories in the media, speaking to federal and state politicians, as well as providing evidence at government inquiries and hearings. “Unlike licensed operators, who use data to identify and support at-risk Mega Moolah customers, illegal sites use it to target vulnerable Australians and minors with high-risk offers and exaggerated bonuses. One in five bettors accessing overseas sites were looking to access live in-play online betting, which is illegal in Australia, while 48 per cent went looking for better offers and 44 per cent better promotions. “Falling onshore betting turnover is already placing pressure on race clubs and authorities, many of which have reported declining revenue and are now diversifying into non-racing events and property development to stay viable,” the report says. But if they did, they would imply that some Australians must suffer immense harm so that others can pay a little less for sport, or punt a little more seamlessly.
The Australian racing industry is losing up to $135 million in revenue each year because of offshore illegal gambling, with an estimate that one in every seven dollars spent on Australian racing is via an unregulated operator. While the study found most Australians — around 50 per cent — were considered non-risk gamblers, which means they did not experience harm related to the practice, the study found there had been a rise in people who experienced some form of gambling-related harm. The time is right for federal, state, and territory governments to come together to implement a coordinated reform package. Taking action together is likely to be the most effective way to take on the vested interests.
- Problem gambling is a major public health concern in Australia and internationally (Blank et al., 2021), referring to a pattern of harmful gambling behaviours.
- But people still cannot consistently self-exclude from all forms of gambling.
- More importantly, the central monitoring system in NSW is only one-way (rather than two-way, as it is in other states), and a two-way system is needed for state-wide pre-commitment.
- This high participation rate includes various forms of gambling, such as lotteries, sports betting, and poker machines.
- 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.
- “The Government has gone soft on the online gambling and tech companies, at the expense of the wellbeing and safety of Australians.
People who gamble, their families, and the broader community pay the price in their finances, health, and wellbeing. In parallel, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a universal pre-commitment system with maximum loss limits. Problem gambling is a major public health concern in Australia and internationally (Blank et al., 2021), referring to a pattern of harmful gambling behaviours. Population prevalence estimates for past year problem gambling ranging from 0.1% to 5.8% globally (Calado & Griffiths, 2016) and from 0.7% to 1.0% in Australia (Delfabbro & King, 2021).
Pokies are in our suburban pubs and clubs, and betting is constantly available at our fingertips. And a flood of advertising, even in the most obviously inappropriate places,6 continually prompts us to gamble. The impacts of COVID-19 on gambling participation and on the levels of problem gambling risk received attention early on in the pandemic, showing an overall reduction in gambling frequency and expenditure in 2020 (Hodgins & Stevens, 2021).
1.1 A mess of rules that do not prevent harm
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. Chapter 2 shows that governments have failed to take the necessary steps to prevent gambling harm, mainly because of the political risks of taking on the industry and its allies. Until the 1990s.40 Even today, only a small number of countries allow high-intensity pokies outside of dedicated gambling venues (such as casinos).41 However, in Australia, only WA limits access to gaming machines in this way. At the same time, political and industry sources expect Communications Minister Anika Wells to crack-down on illegal offshore gambling websites – and potentially social media influencers that promote them – as new research shows they have surged in popularity. It has also said it wanted to keep online advertising, including on social media and streaming services, but it would only be to logged-in, age-verified accounts so it doesn’t target kids, and there would be an opt-out mechanism.
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But these industries have adapted to advertising bans in the past, and would do so again. 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. 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.
Showed how effective the gambling industry is in influencing Australian politics, punching well above its weight. Organised attempts to influence policy can create windfall gains for a few, at the expense of the many. Just 5 per cent of gamblers account for 77 per cent of gambling spending using debit cards (Figure 1.6). This top 5 per cent spend 10 times as much as the bottom 80 per cent combined. In other countries, high-impact, high-loss ‘Australian-style’ machines are typically confined to casinos.11 But in Australia, they are pockmarked across our suburbs and towns, increasing the risk of harm.