In 2020, Independent Australian MP Andrew Wilkie began a crusade against social casino games. His mission is to have social casino games outlawed across the entire country. Social casinos feature free-to-play games that simulate gambling, most often found on social networking sites
Wilkie argues that a ban on the practice would assist in curbing gambling-related harm in Australia and, to that end, he introduced a bill to parliament on June 10, 2020. The sole purpose of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2020 is to have all social casinos banned.
Should the bill pass, a ban on social gambling would be added to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 that already outlaws iGaming in the country.
What’s the harm?
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 states that parties found guilty of participating in or facilitating online gaming will be fined. The penalty for individuals is up to $220,000, and companies could face a fine as high as $1.1 million.
Wilkie’s act seeks to reclassify social casino gaming as a type of gambling, changing its current status as a form of entertainment. This action would effectively place it in the same boat as iGaming, so anyone caught participating in it would face significant financial penalties.
According to Wilkie, social casinos made it possible for the current explosion of iGaming to happen. This claim holds water as it can be demonstrated that a slew of players continues to transition from social casinos to online betting sites.
By his reasoning, the inherent social risk of gambling is that casinos tend to cater to and encourage the “winner spirit” in their players, and this can bleed into the individual’s life, making them more confident but also less averse to risk.
While Wilkie’s position that social casinos and iGaming are harmful may make sense, the prevailing social culture seems to indicate that gamers largely engage in these practices as a form of stress relief, something which became particularly pertinent with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic where the movements and freedoms of individuals were restricted.
In a 2020 study by the Australian Gambling Research Centre where 2000 individuals were surveyed, nearly 50% of respondents reported that their physical and/or mental health had been negatively affected during COVID-19. Close to 1 in 3 of respondents had signed up for a new online betting account during COVID-19, with almost 1 in 20 gambling online for the first time.
Alarmingly, 79% of respondents could be categorised as being at risk of or already in the throes of gambling-related harm.
A reviving industry
Wilkie’s attempt to eradicate iGaming and social casinos comes at the same time as calls from other members of parliament to fully reopen brick-and-mortar gambling venues to assist in propping up the country’s economy, which continues to be battered by the effects of COVID-19.
The fate of Wilkie’s Bill still hangs in the balance, in the interim players are increasingly discovering the joys and pitfalls of mobile iGaming entertainment. What is certain is that the disappearance of social casinos would disappoint many players who rely on them as a source of entertainment.
