Australia
Bookmakers warn of “tough times ahead” as regulators crack down on Australian gambling
Australia has the world’s largest gambling spend per head. The Melbourne Cup celebrations cause bookies to warn that party could soon be over as political pressure mounts.
Australia hosted its 157th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, and parties following the prestigious race event stretched into the early hours – particularly from those of the Emerald Isle. Irish runner Rekindling galloped past the post and claimed the victory, with the nation claiming the top three finishers.
One lucky punter scooping AU$1 million ($767,000 USD) in a TAB promotion and another pulling $151,255 ($115,000USD) from a $50 trifecta wager.
But while punters and the race industry celebrate long into the night, bookmakers have warned that the party could be over for the nation’s betting industry.
Gambling faces a significant backlash from lobbyists and politicians, who are concerned that having the world’s largest gambling spend is also creating the world’s largest gambling problem.
Huge gaming market sparks fears over player safety
Australia has a relatively small population and a well-established betting scene, but it is not as lucrative a market for operators as Las Vegas, Macau or Singapore. However, the AU$23 billion (US$17 billion) market sees the highest spend per person per year, with the average annual loss hitting US$990 in 2016.
A Household, Income and Labour Dynamics survey in August revealed that there are 200,000 problem gamblers in Australia, while figures from the Australian Gambling Statistics Bureau show a spend of $1,241.86 per adult per year.
This is a sharp 7.7% increase on figures from 2014-15, suggesting that gambling spend is rising fast.
While increased spend is usually good for business, bookmakers and casino operators face a backlash from anti-gambling lobbyists who feel there is too little regulation in the gaming industry. To appease campaigners and lessen the general public’s fears, politicians and regulators are trying to crack down on the gambling industry with new taxes and laws.
Bookmakers warn of hard times ahead
The two key measures introduced to curb problem gambling rates are changes to advertising rules and a new point of consumption tax, applied to net wagering revenues and gambling losses at a rate of 15% in South Australia this summer, with other states set to follow.
Bookmakers have warned that the tax could severely reduce profits and could even make operating within the nation an impossibility in the future.
The Financial Times reports that foreign operators William Hill, Bet365 and Ladbrokes have posted losses since they entered the Australian market, while native operator Sportsbet says a nationwide roll-out of the consumption tax could cost the company half of its pre-tax profits.
“There are tough times ahead… This is an earthquake – a seismic event for the industry,” warned Sportsbet CEO Cormac Barry.
Barry’s comments come as another major change takes effect. Advertising laws in Canberra will be changed to prohibit sports bet advertising on television during matches, and before 8.30pm.
Rules may also be introduced which prohibit the promotion of free bets, deposit bonuses and other rewards for players who sign up.
If the laws have an impact, they could be rolled out nationwide – which would severely limit the reach of gambling advertisers and cut them off from their key audience: sports fans.
Calls for pokie reform go unheard
While anti-gambling campaigners will be pleased that advertising laws are changing to limit vulnerable people’s exposure to them, the changes don’t go far enough for some.
Critics say that the biggest danger to players is not the sports bet industry, but the poker machines which are found in clubs and casinos all over the country.
Similar to the UK’s recent ruling on fixed odds betting terminal stakes, campaigners want maximum pokie stakes reduced to AU$1 per person.
The recent Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey found that spend is significantly higher on poker and pokie machines than on sports or race betting – as is the average loss. If Australia wants to make an impact on its problem gambling rates without harming its valuable betting industry, it might need to address the national love of pokies before targeting sports bets.
Australia
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Australia
ACMA: Tabcorp Pays $262,000 Penalty for Illegal In-Play Bets
Tabcorp Holdings Limited (Tabcorp) has paid a $262,920 penalty for taking online in-play sports bets, which is illegal in Australia.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found Tabcorp accepted 854 in-play bets across 69 tennis matches between April and October 2023.
Online in-play betting—wagers made on a sporting event after it has commenced—is prohibited in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Authority member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the ban on online in-play betting is in place to protect vulnerable people.
“In-play betting increases access to gambling opportunities and exacerbates the risks of gambling harm, as people can place bets with high frequency on multiple outcomes during sporting events,” Ms Lidgerwood said.
“There has been significant growth in online sports betting in recent years and it’s important all online wagering services have systems in place so that illegal in-play bets are not accepted.”
During the investigation Tabcorp reported that the breaches occurred due to a technical “bug” in its systems. While the error first occurred in April 2023, it was not fixed until October 2023.
“Tabcorp is a major wagering operator and it is concerning that it took some 6 months for the system error to be identified and fixed,” Ms Lidgerwood said.
In addition to paying the $262,920 penalty, Tabcorp has also advised the ACMA of controls it now has in place and future steps it will be taking to minimise the risk of online in-play bets being accepted.
In its consideration of this matter the ACMA also took into account that Tabcorp had voided all bets so consumers did not suffer any loss and Tabcorp did not profit from the errors.
Tabcorp was previously issued a formal warning by the ACMA in November 2021 for accepting in-play bets on a United States college basketball game.
Australia
AUSTRAC and Pacific Financial Intelligence Units Gather in Brisbane to Tackle Financial Crime in the Region
Identifying ways to combat serious financial crime is the key focus when financial intelligence units (FIUs) from across the Pacific meet in Brisbane.
Representatives from 13 Pacific nations are gathering for the Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) plenary, which is hosted by AUSTRAC.
The three-day event, which is now going on, provides a valuable opportunity for FIUs to further explore initiatives to fight financial crime. These include joint operations, intelligence sharing, capacity-building activities and region-wide technological enhancements.
Since last year’s meeting in the Cook Islands, PFIC members have focused their efforts on combating transnational organised crime, corruption and child sexual exploitation. AUSTRAC has worked with FIUs to ensure they have the training and capabilities required to proactively identify and tackle these crimes.
As well as ongoing themes such as money laundering, this year’s meeting will also address emerging issues such as illicit use of cryptocurrency, new payment platforms and gambling in the region.
AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said PFIC is a good example of the value strong regional partnerships bring to combating money laundering and other serious financial crime.
“As Australia’s financial intelligence unit, we’re not just focused on ensuring the security of Australia’s financial system, we also have a key role to play in working with our neighbours to combat the harms posed by criminal networks across the region,” Mr Thomas said.
“To put it into perspective, behind each of these crimes are people who are left devastated by the impacts of online scams, child sexual exploitation, environmental crimes or drug trafficking.
“PFIC was established by AUSTRAC and other regional partners in 2021 to promote greater collaboration among Pacific FIUs, and we’re so proud of the outcomes it’s already delivered.”
The Head of the Cook Islands FIU and outgoing Co-Chair of the PFIC, Mr Walter Henry, said he’s honoured to have played a leading role in PFIC over the last two years.
“Serious financial crime affects all of our nations, so we must work together to combat threats which undermine our financial security and community safety,” Mr Henry said.
“The PFIC has proven to be a vital channel for sharing intelligence, for working on capability enhancements and for staying across emerging threats and developments in technology.”
The Attorney-General will address the conference, to speak about Australia’s commitment to building strong regional partnerships to combat transnational financial crime, and ongoing efforts to strengthen Australia’s anti-money laundering system.
Representatives from the financial intelligence units of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu will be in attendance.
AUSTRAC is the permanent Co-Chair of the forum. The Head of the Fiji FIU is scheduled to take on the rotating Co-Chair position at the end of this plenary meeting.
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