Gambling Amendment Bill Introduced In Australian Senate

On Tuesday, Australian senator Nick Xenophon (photo) introduced his Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill into the Senate, as he seeks to reign in those inducements offered by gambling companies which have contributed to the financial misery experienced by hundreds of people in the country. Internet gambling, and especially online sports betting, has soared in popularity over the past decade, as has the rate of problem gambling amongst Australians. Commenting on his new private members bill, Xenophon stated:
“There is currently an absence of sensible measures to ensure online sports betting is conducted in a responsible manner. This Bill seeks to fill these gaps in a way that offers protection for those who have difficulty controlling their gambling but will have minimal impact on so-called recreational gamblers.”
The slew of measures suggested to tackle the problem includes banning TV gambling commercials during sports programs; setting up a National Self-exclusion Register; prohibiting micro betting; and restricting or outlawing gambling using credit provided by the gambling companies. The last point, gambling on credit, has particularly attracted a great deal of criticism from anti-gambling groups who believe that predatory lending tactics and unqualified lending by operators inevitably leads to a greater level of impulse betting and addiction amongst gamblers. Elaborating further, Xenophon explains:
“If it’s offered online by the provider, it makes it much easier for impulse betting, for chasing your losses. If you have to go and borrow money, take out a loan — it doesn’t allow the fueling of the gambling addiction.”
Financial Counselling Australia (FSA) has been particularly scathing of the practice, with the group having expressed their concerns on numerous occasions. More recently, the FSA outlined their objections to credit extension in a report entitled “Duds, Mugs and the A-list,” which Xenophon referred to when crafting his bill.