Chapter 3 outlines a roadmap to prevent gambling harm, by reducing people’s exposure and rolling out tools that will make gambling safer. In parallel, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a universal pre-commitment system with maximum loss limits. Use BetStop—the National Self-Exclusion RegisterTM to block yourself from all phone and online gambling providers.

Hanson and Joyce cosy up while Albanese plays the trump card

Industry lobbyists claim that restricting or banning gambling ads would jeopardise the financial viability of sport, or the free-to-air TV industry. But these industries have adapted to advertising bans in the past, and would do so again. Governments should call out the industry’s self-interest, and not be tempted to ‘buy off’ vested interests (Box 7). 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.

More than 40 corporate bookmakers base themselves in the NT for tax reasons, regulated by the part-time NT Racing and Wagering Commission. 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. After decades of failed attempts, some state governments, notably Tasmania, are finally taking action on pokies.

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 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). State governments regulate casinos, pokies, the racing industry, and other land-based gambling, with different rules in different states.

2.1 Mandate pre-commitment with maximum loss limits for online gambling and pokies

Interactive gambling licensing is regulated in Queensland by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR). Included in these symbols are all the spoils of a successful trick or treating thanks to a range of candies such as spooky love-hearts, three. Australian reservations and casinos the support team is highly trained and knowledgeable, or 12 and the shooter craps out. You can also check licensed gambling providers on the Australian Communications and Media Authority website.

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. Gambling is considered a heavily regulated industry in Australia, but current regulations are not particularly effective in reducing harm, let alone preventing it. 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. Pokies are in our suburban pubs and clubs, and betting is constantly available at our fingertips.

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. Every jurisdiction has work to do in preventing gambling harm, and reform will be easier and more effective if jurisdictions coordinate their efforts. But that shouldn’t mean delaying state-based reform efforts, or waiting for laggards.

A universal system may need to be administered by a national agency (as it is in Germany and Norway) to keep track of people’s nominated limits and spending across providers. NSW has a particularly big job, with a lot more gaming machines than any other state (see Figure 3.3), and the majority requiring an upgrade or retrofit to enable limit setting. 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. While many of the implementation challenges are greater for NSW, so are the benefits. Cashless gaming is currently a major focus for NSW, and is an important part of tackling money laundering via pokies,211 but is not an essential pre-cursor for mandatory pre-commitment. 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.

• 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.
• A universal system may need to be administered by a national agency (as it is in Germany and Norway) to keep track of people’s nominated limits and spending across providers.
• This will go a long way to preventing harm from the two most risky and widespread forms of gambling.
• Regular icons are five playing cards from 10 to A and four most valuable items found in the tomb of the Boy-King, you will then bet $40 on your next round.
• That would go a long way to reducing Australians’ excessive exposure to gambling.
• 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.

ACMA is the government body responsible for the regulation of online industries in Australia. In parallel to the reforms live dealer online casino above, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a single system for mandatory pre-commitment across all gambling environments. Rather than setting separate limits for pokies, online betting, and other forms of gambling, the ideal would be a single limit across all forms of gambling. Our proposed reforms do not curtail the availability of legal gambling websites. Setting a pre-commitment limit will add only a small friction to the sign-up process, and most people’s spending already falls under our proposed maximum limits. It is unlikely that there would be a major exodus to offshore providers to avoid these minor inconveniences.

Australia should introduce a gambling warning label,201 so that people know when a game contains gambling-like features. This would help gamers of all ages avoid exposure to gambling if they wish, and it may be particularly helpful for parents to reduce their children’s incidental exposure to gambling. NSW stands out in having banned political donations from gambling businesses because of the potential for influence and perception of influence.167 But gambling interests in NSW still can and do donate at the federal level. Casinos have been the subject of recent Royal Commissions and major inquiries.115 State governments should follow through on these reforms.