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. 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. 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. 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. Australian governments have historically legalised and promoted a wide range of gambling options.118 Today, governments oversee a tangled web of rules and codes for Australian gambling providers119 that leaves big holes in consumer protection.
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. A key part of the Alliance’s work is how we work with people who have experienced gambling harm, known as the Voices for Gambling Reform. Coordinating reform across jurisdictions will make the changes simpler for people to navigate and strengthen governments to withstand vested interest pushback. This will be especially important given the roadmap will take several years to fully implement.
Over the past 3 years I’ve spoken to many people who have experienced a family member in a very similar situation as my brothers, losing their life savings and living in a delusional world where they believe they “didn’t have a problem with gambling”. Very sadly the only time many family members become aware about the true extent of the problem is when it is too late to be of any assistance. Policy makers should be guided by data in choosing the regulated upper limits, and be prepared to withstand industry attempts to loosen the seatbelt by lobbying for higher limits. But estimates of their community benefits are highly inflated, and their most valuable contributions don’t rely on pokies profits. Providers should also give warning messages to customers as their limit approaches, so it doesn’t come as a shock.
Mandate pre-commitment with maxmimum loss limits for pokies
A copy of the rules governing the authorised games on all our gaming machines can be accessed and viewed below. If you have lived experience of gambling harm or are an affected other, visit our Voices page. Please share how gambling advertisements have affected your community and why the government must act now to protect Australians from their harm.
Governments have failed to protect Australians from gambling harm
Regulators should be wary that setting limits on how much people can lose while gambling creates an incentive for the industry to more aggressively try to increase its customer base. 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.
- 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.
- Industry lobbyists claim that restricting or banning gambling ads would jeopardise the financial viability of sport, or the free-to-air TV industry.
- 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.
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. Pokies are in our suburban pubs and clubs, and betting is constantly available at our fingertips.
For more information about terms used throughout the publication and the data tables please refer to the explanatory notes. Whether you are registered with BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register or still considering it, there are many other supports available if epl-betting-odds.com you want to take control of your gambling. You can nominate someone you know to support you while you are self-excluded. You can also access information about other gambling supports that are available. Donate to support independent, rigorous, and practical policy research in Australia. Sign up for our latest report releases and our newsletter straight to your inbox.
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 for online gambling, and state governments should implement state-wide mandatory pre-commitment schemes for pokies. This will go a long way to preventing harm from the two most risky and widespread forms of gambling. In parallel to the reforms above, the federal government should investigate the feasibility of a single system for mandatory pre-commitment across all gambling environments.