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

And in NSW – the state with almost as many pokies as the rest of the country combined – the most recent state election was fought at least in part on pokies reforms. While the policies being debated were more focused on money laundering risks than gambling harm, both major parties brought policies to the table. Gambling normalisation starts young, and sports betting advertising is a major culprit. The federal government should ban all gambling advertising, sponsorships, and inducements. 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.

Sign up for our latest report releases and our newsletter straight to your inbox. Governments have a responsibility to act in the public interest, even when it is politically challenging. The report found Queensland reported the highest prevalence of gambling, at 70.2 per cent, followed by Western Australia at 69.6 per cent, and South Australia at 67.9 per cent. Lived experience advocate and former gambler Shayne Rodgers grew up with gambling as part of his life.

Betting Agency

• The independent regulator of Victoria’s gambling industry – ensuring integrity, safety and fairness for all.
• 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.
• Further, under section 15AA of the Act it is an offence to provide a regulated interactive gambling service with an Australian-customer link without holding a valid license issued under the law of a state or territory that authorises that service.
• A ‘legal bookmaker’ is defined as a licensed bookmaker approved by Liquor & Gaming NSW or by any other relevant state or territory legal authority.
• 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.
• The committee recommended blocking transactions to illegal gambling operators, and “stronger sanctions for companies and known individuals who profit from illegal gambling”.

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. In many communities in NSW, particularly poorer communities, it’s difficult https://www.thefootballforum.net/blogs/pokies-machines-in-australia/ to find a venue that doesn’t have pokies (Figure 1.4).

Grievous Bodily Harm Or Wounding With Intent

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.

Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission

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.

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. The federal government should establish a national pre-commitment system for online gambling, and state governments should roll out state-wide pre-commitment for pokies. 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.

Gambling is considered a heavily regulated industry in Australia, but current regulations are not particularly effective in reducing harm, let alone preventing it. Casinos have been the subject of recent Royal Commissions and major inquiries.115 State governments should follow through on these reforms. The main reason Australia’s regulations are so weak is the influence of the gambling industry. Past reform efforts have been killed by highly organised, well-funded industry campaigns. Our average annual losses per adult ($1,635) far exceed the average in similar countries such as the US ($809) and New Zealand ($584) (Figure 1.1).