Stirling Griff (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) according to research published by the Australian Centre for Gambling Studies in 2015, it was estimated that 574,000 Australian adults regularly wagered on sports,

(ii) 41% of all regular sports bettors – 234,000 adults – experienced one or more gambling problems in 2015,

(iii) in a typical month, 46 cents in every dollar spent on sports betting by regular sports bettors came from a person with moderate to severe gambling problems who continue to gamble despite the dire impact it may have on their lives,

(iv) Australians lose a combined $4.3 billion betting on sports and racing each year,

(v) online wagering is the fastest-growing form of gambling, with 15% growth each year,

(vi) the current patchwork approach to online sports betting regulation is failing consumers and requires a strong national approach, and

(vii) the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, in 2018, introduced a Social Responsibility Code as part of its licensing regime, which includes provisions to combat problem gambling – many of the same licensees are licensed in Australia, and Financial Counselling Australia is calling for the same provisions to be introduced in Australia; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to:

(i) introduce legislation to implement an Online Gambling Consumer Protection Framework, as a matter of urgency,

(ii) introduce legislation to establish a National Self-Exclusion register, as a matter of urgency,

(iii) within the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 , include a positive duty on online gambling industry providers to ensure their services are provided responsibly, by way of a Social Responsibility Code akin to the United Kingdom provisions, and

(iv) appoint a National Online Wagering Regulator.