As Australia continues its attempts to regulate the acute issues leading to problem gambling within its borders, further responsible gaming failures continue to come to light.
Now undoubtedly a major policy issue, problem gambling and gambling addiction in turn is having a heavy impact on the Oceanic commonwealth.
Nearly 80 percent of Australians partake in gambling activities with the most at-risk demographic being males between the ages of 18 and 35.
What’s more worrying, however, is that almost half of all Australians who participate in gambling activities are at risk of experiencing some kind of gambling-related harm.
Efforts to curb problem gambling
In lieu of this, Australia is undergoing a heavy regulatory restructuring in order to address these increasingly out-of-control issues.
Subsequent to a parliamentary inquiry specifically aimed at curbing harms from online gaming, 31 recommendations have been made to encourage responsible gaming and mitigate gambling harm.
These have most notably included a self-exclusion register known as BetStop and a ban on credit cards for gambling purposes, previously only applicable at land-based venues, extended to all online gambling among any other forms.
These efforts are yet to be properly reviewed due to how early in their inauguration they are. Aside from this, however, several issues remain unattended to as of yet.
Fines for underage gambling
Subsequent to the implementation of the newest measures from the parliamentary inquiry, Gambling operator Tabcorp was accused of failing to prevent a 16-year-old from gambling at several of their venues in nearly 31 instances.
Aside from Tabcorp’s clear negligence in adequately monitoring their venues for underage gambling or establishing effective age verification methods, this displays just how deep gambling penetrates into the culture of the nation.
This is perhaps an issue as significantly perpetrated by advertisers as it by operators themselves.
CEO of New South Wales operator Wicked Games, Darryl Manning, gave an exclusive statement to SiGMA group when he explained that this sort of oversight would not occur in the currently outlawed online casinos of Australia.
CEO of Wicked Games, Darryl Manning.
He suggests that player protections are far more robust online than they are in land-based operations:
“If the pundits wanted to get real about problem gambling, why not allow online slots. After all, the tools that are currently being developed to protect the online player are far more robust, and far more capable of identifying a player’s means or curtailing certain behaviour, than those applied to land-based Gaming.”
Considering these improved protections, problem gambling could be curbed by offering a more diverse marketplace with a new influx of far safer products in the online space.
Gambling advertising
When focusing on gambling advertising, the various states comprising Australia are in agreement and are keen to enact a ban or at least a restriction on gambling advertising.
South Australia
In South Australia there is already a gambling ban in place for television that includes a blackout between 4 pm and 7.30 pm on Monday and Friday with a similar blackout in effect for radio between 6 am and 8.30 am on the same days.
This is still not believed by many to be a strong enough band with South Australia submitting in favour of a total prohibition on gambling advertising on television, streaming services and social media.
Shane Rattenbury, the Australian Capital Territory’s attorney general, has also stated that he wishes to see his jurisdiction follow suit.
Queensland
In Queensland, the government has made several statements noting that gambling promotion is “obtrusively delivered through television broadcasts” touting its own support for a ban on gambling inducement.
Although gambling advertising is already restricted in the territory, PG programmes between the family-friendly hours of 7 pm and 8.30 pm are unfortunately “saturated with gambling advertising”.
A national issue?
This issue has been a point of contention for quite some time now. The states previously mentioned among some others are in favour of a national approach issued throughout the commonwealth.
However, some other states, most notably New South Wales, have submitted in support of the current system as the regulatory bodies there believe this is a matter for states and territories separately.
These states have stated that this preference stems from the competitive tension this creates, allowing states to adopt the most optimal policies based on the variety of data provided by their peers.
Operator stance
Although most operators in Australia would disagree with gambling advertising being subject to a complete prohibition, there is some agreement in that effective restrictions should be implemented with scrutiny placed on the ethical values of advertisers.
Manning also weighed in on this particular issue, expressing how he believes that the onus should be on advertisers to dissuade any players at risk.
In his statement, he suggested:
“One way would be to allot a portion of the advertising budget to this audience. Maybe the last third of a video ad or the bottom third of a pictorial could be dedicated to seriously addressing the issue. Not just a 5-second Speed talker.”
Join us in Malta between the 13 – 17 November for SiGMA Europe 2023
SiGMA Europe’s Malta Week festival brings together a diverse and international group of industry leaders for a convergence of expo, conference, and networking. The event will be held at the Mediterranean Maritime Hub (MMH), a larger, more dynamic venue that promises a raw, industrial, and unconventional space unlike anything ever used before.
In the words of SiGMA Group founder Eman Pulis, “We’re redesigning your entire experience, from the minute you land in Malta until the very last moment. I look forward to welcoming you with open arms to this iGaming festival.”
