The Wyndham council has adopted an updated gaming policy that specifies the distance from social housing that pokie venues can be established. The policy, which the council recently voted to adopt, seeks to shift the concentration of electronic gaming machines away from areas and communities likely to fall prey to problem gambling.

The policy states that pokie venues may not be set up within 400 metres walking distance or clear sightline of social housing, shopping complexes or centres, and services utilised by individuals suffering from gambling-related harms, like financial counselling services.

The gaming policy is set to form part of the council’s planning scheme, following approval from the Minister for Planning.

The policy further seeks to limit the placement of electronic gambling machines in growth areas subject to Precinct Structure Plans, until they are “sufficiently established to overcome any significant uncertainties related to adjoining land uses, proximity to sensitive uses and potential for social and economic impacts on the emerging local community.”

Cr Josh Gilligan said that the approval of policy demonstrates that the council is embracing “the strongest possible planning scheme controls possible to mitigate the risk of new pokies in growth areas, such as Tarneit and Truganina.”

The council received six submissions after advertising the draft policy for public comment last year. Four supporting submissions came from the Brimbank council, Hobsons Bay Council, the Victorian Local Governance Association, and the Alliance for Gambling Reform.

Two objecting submissions came from the operators of a Tarneit hotel which currently has 65 pokies machines and two businesses that had their sights set on constructing a 70 pokie facility on Woods Road.

Cr Jennie Barrera explained that Wyndham already has 903 electronic gambling machines, which earned $61 million in the 2020-21 financial year.

“While gambling can be an ordinary past-time for some, it is associated with addiction and harmful outcomes for others. Substantial research now indicates that gambling addiction doubles the risk of a person missing a mortgage repayment, leads to higher levels of unemployment, higher levels of family violence and poorer long-term health outcomes,” Barrera said.​

The pandemic-precipitated 2020 lockdown resulted in intriguing spikes in the purchases of certain goods in Australia, like office furniture for example. With fresh lockdowns in 2021, spending is still on the rise, but the cash seems to be flowing more towards gadgets and pokies than desk recliners.

While pragmatism may have influenced a lot of spending with the first round of lockdowns, over a year later, boredom has seen an increasing number of people reach into their pockets to spend on entertainment and diversions.

According to data collected for Consumer Spending by the Consultancy firm Accenture and analytics firm, Illion, Melbourne and Sydney have recorded a 329% increase in online gambling spending when compared to average spending habits. This figure far surpasses the previous lockdown’s gambling spend increase of 215%.

While online gambling has experienced a phenomenal increase in popularity, it is far from the only industry to see a boom in lockdown-generated interest. Spending on home delivery increased by 203% in 2021, as compared to only 132% for the initial lockdown period.

Andrew Charlton, the MD at Accenture, explained that the observed increase in online gambling spending cannot be solely attributed to the lockdowns. He elaborated that the increased outflow of money continued following the 2020 lockdown to enough of an extent for it to be identified as a continuing, long-term change in consumer behaviour.

This indicates that many stuck with online gambling after the first lockdown, as opposed to treating it as a passing fascination.

Simon Bligh, the CEO of Illion, expressed his belief that the lack of entertainment options during lockdowns has driven many individuals towards online gambling. He added that there is a lot of disposable income floating around in both Sydney and Melbourne, so it follows that spending on things like pokies, sports betting and others would increase.​

A recent report by a gambler at Perth’s Crown Casino revealed that he was approached by a loan shark after he had lost a few bets

The stranger’s illicit offer was a $10,000 loan, conditional on the promise that the player would refund him once he had won the money back. After accepting the offer, the player, unfortunately, was not able to repay the loan amount and now he is facing harassment and death threats. Demands for the money were accompanied by the grim promise that he would end up with “concrete boots”.

This story and others like it came to light as numerous submissions were made to the Perth Casino Royal Commission.

The commission is tasked with determining if Crown Perth should hold a casino gaming licence amid allegations of money laundering levelled at the casino. The commission has taken testimony from current and previous Crown employees and members of the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC), Western Australia’s casino watchdog.

Aside from the loan shark issue, electronic gaming machine limits and an inappropriate relationship between counselling services and the casino were raised as areas of concern.

Gamblers in Peril

Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) has identified a number of loan sharking incidents in or around the casino, stating that these criminal individuals appear to operate with “relative impunity”.

One story relayed by the organisation was that of a gentleman who sought out their help, describing how he owed $100 000 to “friends”.

It turns out that these so-called friends were loan sharks who charged him a 50 per cent interest rate on his borrowed amount. The player described being terrorised by the money-lending rogues, saying that he dreaded going to the police as he feared reprisals against his family.

A financial counsellor in attendance at the inquiry stated that Crown was deliberately allowing these predatory practices to continue.

“They would see someone approaching people. There are cameras everywhere. The casino should be a safe place for people to gamble,” they advised.

The FCA director of policy and campaigns, Lauren Levin, named loan sharking as one of the organisation’s priorities.

“Casinos are not allowed to provide credit. That’s been banned for a long time. Turning a blind eye to those who are providing credit to customers is a form of willful blindness,” she said.

A Criminal History

When quizzed by the commission about the issue, Brian Lee, the Crown Perth general manager of security and surveillance, defended the venue’s efforts. He advised that the casino had instituted measures to eliminate suspected loan sharks from the property.

“Most of the time [the ban is] a minimum of two years before they can write to me to ask for revocation. In most instances, the vast majority if not all, that’s extended past the two-year period,” he said.

When asked about a particular individual accused of Loan Sharking, that the commission identified as Patron S, he relayed that due to police concerns and its own evidence, Crown had banned Patron S in 2020.

It was revealed, however, that this patron’s undesirable behaviour had been reported to relevant authorities 11 years earlier. A customer complaint dated 2009 detailed how Patron S was stalking the casino’s VIP Pearl Room and this account was verified by a second witness.

It was revealed that Crown’s security and surveillance team had around 18 different notifications regarding Patron S and loan sharking from 2013-2015.

Oversight Needed

In its submission, the FCA recommended that casinos should be involved in the national self-exclusion register, due to be launched in 2022.

The FCA’s Lauren Levin additionally suggested a reform of the existing casino regulation system, that she called a “lame duck”.

“It doesn’t have the tools, it doesn’t have the regulation, it doesn’t have the desire. The time for self-regulation is over, the most important change we want to see is a single national gambling regulator with new legislation that has consumer protection at its core.”

“By having a national regulator, you get rid of that conflict of interest and the regulator will be able to do its job,” she said.

Help Needed

Western Australia’s only dedicated problem gambler counselling service, Centrecare, reported a 25 per cent increase in requests for help over the past year.

The service advised the inquiry that a public awareness campaign to address the stigma of gambling addiction and endorse support services would be of immeasurable value.

In his comments, Centrecare director Tony Pietropiccolo said, “Gambling harm is real [and] it creates problems not just for the individual but for their families and their partners. It’s a community issue because the consequences are significant.”

A large portion of the casino’s revenue is derived from problem gamblers making use of its 2,500 electronic gaming machines.

Pietropiccolo proposed a system that would allow for the pre-programming of machines with a maximum total bet amount per player.

“I think that is possibly the most effective way of allowing people to have access to what some people consider as entertainment [while still controlling] the impact of those machines on their lives,” he offered.

Conflict of Interest

Centrecare currently draws all the funding for its counselling service from voluntary contributions from Crown and other industry bodies via their WA Problem Gambling Support Services Committee memberships. The committee was first created in 1995 and operates within the GWC.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform relayed its concerns about this arrangement to the inquiry in a formal submission, an excerpt of which reads,

“We note the distress and the anger … caused amongst people with lived experience of gambling harm, that the organisations primarily responsible for causing the harm are also directly involved in consideration of the funding and provision of services to ‘support’ them. We do not believe that this is an appropriate membership of the committee.”

There have been many calls for support services to rather be backed by gambling taxes and for the committee to be operated beyond the mandate of the Gaming and Wagering Commission.​

CashtoCode has signed an agreement with Epay that will see it offer its services in Australia. The deal enables the payments platform to target its offering at online betting brands with Australian licences for online sports betting and skill games.

Australia currently has over 25 licensed online wagering, lottery, and skill-based businesses that CashtoCode anticipates will need cash deposit facilities for their payment portfolios.

Jens Bader, the CEO and Co-Founder of the provider said,

“Australia offers a fantastic business opportunity for online wagering and betting brands. It is a thriving market and one we’re keen to play a part in.”

Epay holds the largest private network of prepaid terminals in Australia and provides mobile top-ups, payment services, and bill payments via a range of retail venues throughout the country.

Thanks to this new arrangement, Australian users will be able to top up numerous online wallet accounts with cash or via in-store deposits at an Epay national affiliate such as BP, Shell, Coles, Woolworths, IGA, and WHSmiths, as well as several smaller convenience stores.

Bader concluded his statement, saying,

“We’ve seen in Europe and our other international markets that cash can be a great payment option for customers that are keen to control their payment speed, or simply prefer it for privacy reasons. We expect to see the same situation in Australia and believe that many Australian operators are looking to diversify their payment options for players.”

CashtoCode has recently cemented a series of agreements to expand its reach. The provider has managed to enter the Asia-Pacific region, a selection of African countries and the lucrative Latin American market.​

Federal Group, the oldest casino business in Australia finds itself fighting against change as the government moves to end its exclusive licence in Tasmania. Although this change is intended to happen within the next two years, the operator claims it cannot go forward as it has received no such communication from the government.

Federal Group is responsible for opening Australia’s first legal casino in 1973. Over the past 50 years, it alone has held a license for Tasmania’s electronic gaming machines (EGM).

The 2003 Deed between the Crown and Federal Group specifies a Rolling Term that “ensures the company is provided with at least four years’ notice of any changes to the arrangements.” The agreement further stipulates that the earliest date any new gaming provisions can be applied is 1 July 2026; however, Tasmania’s Liberal government is seeking to end the group’s monopoly by 1 July 2023.

A Federal Group representative commented, saying,

 “We would urge the Tasmanian Government to remove the proposed amendment and to end the 2003 Deed of Agreement at the conclusion of the rolling term period, therefore honouring the terms of the 2003 deed.”

The company added that in addition to annulling the deed, the proposed changes would “remove the capacity for any compensation to be payable to a party.” A new report projects that the group is predicted to lose close to $25m per year, nearly a quarter of its 2018-19 takings of $108m.

Making its case, The Tasmanian Government said,

“The legislation, which will be introduced into the Parliament later this year, implements the government’s policy which was clear that the new arrangements would start in 2023 and Federal Group supported this policy at the 2018 election.”​

Tabcorp CEO David Attenborough is among numerous voices in the Australian gambling industry calling for harsher regulations on gambling advertising, particularly during prime time. This was the position he presented during a recent meeting with a parliamentary committee.

Attenborough stated,

“One is that they should look at restricting wagering advertising, particularly around live sporting events between the hours of 06.30  and 08.30, where exposure to children is heightened. We’ve seen this done in the UK. It’s a classic way of trying to reduce the impact on the young.”

He also backed a ‘siren-to-siren’ ban that would prohibit gambling ads or odds promotion during the broadcast of sports matches. These measures echo those employed by the Betting and Gaming Council in the United Kingdom.

The status quo

Current regulations restrict the advertising of betting and gambling products on shows with a G classification or lower. This restriction applies from 06:00 to 08:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00. An additional ban during children’s programming from 05:00 to 08.30 also exists, but sports broadcasts are exempt from these restrictions.

Questioned motives

Tabcorp’s stated noble intentions have, however, drawn suspicion and allegations of ulterior motives from some quarters.

Some have accused Tabcorp of being motivated by its incapability to match its competition’s advertising spend. Over the last two years, for example, TAB has spent $64.9 million on gambling advertising, far less than the $99.6 million spent by Ladbrokes and the $112.8 million expended by Sportsbet.

This gap in advertising spend frames an intriguing hypothesis, but there is no evidence in favour of that argument.

A chorus of voices

Tabcorp’s crusade is far from a solo one with other Australian companies lining up to lend their weight to prime-time television advertising bans.

The representative body for online bookmakers, Responsible Wagering Australia, has publicly leaned towards working with the government to develop an evolved framework for iGaming advertising.

Reverend Tim Costello, the chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform stated that a complete ban on TV gambling ads is the most efficient route, but more conservative measures would also help.

Tabcorp’s history

Tabcorp is the biggest supplier of Keno, lotteries, gaming and wagering products in Australia. The company boasts a staff complement of over 5 000 employees and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Tabcorp, in its current form, has existed since 2017, when Tabcorp Holdings Limited merged with the Tatts Group. Both businesses were originally founded in the early 1960s with the founding of TAB Qld and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB).

The company’s flagship product is The Lott, the top Australian lottery that awards billions to fortunate hopefuls every year. The firm holds numerous lottery brands across over 3700 locations. Some of the company’s more well-known brands include Lotto, TattsLotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball, XLotto, and Gold Lott.

Tabcorp is constantly expanding its brand line with offerings like Scratch-Its, a speedier substitute for weekly drawings.​

B2B gaming supplier Push Gaming recently announced the network-wide release Mount Magmas, the developer’s first-ever jackpot pokie, via LeoVegas.

The one operator will now release the title to all its partners across regulated markets following a phenomenally successful initial exclusive launch. Partners like Rootz, Vera & John and Intercasino will now have access to the game as part of the network-wide release.

Plunge into the depths of the boiling Mount Magmas, and claim the randomly-triggered fiery volcano jackpots that increase in intensity. The pokie adopts a 20 payline, 5×4 reel format with both a Daily and a Mega jackpot complementing the engaging base game.

The Daily Jackpot runs for a limited time every day while you could win the Mega Jackpot at any time, but it will drop once it hits a set amount. Operators will enjoy the flexibility of being able to schedule jackpot amounts, so the experience may differ from site to site.

When Magma Rocks appear on the reels, they will be collected in a Jackpot Volcano and the anticipation of scorching bonus feature payout builds as you spin. When the volcano erupts, you will enter the Volcano Bonus Feature, where you could claim a Jackpot or an Instant Prize worth up to 20,000x your stake.

James Marshall, the CEO at Push Gaming said,

“Mount Magmas is another great production offering huge win potential and we’re delighted to be launching it globally after its time with our valued partner LeoVegas. This is also a significant milestone for Push Gaming, with the title being our first Jackpots game, combined with it offering must-drop and timed Jackpots. We’re looking forward to building on this in future releases.”

Push Gaming celebrated its 10^th birthday recently, observing its numerous milestones like the acquisition of its MGA and UKGC-licensed platform in 2020.

The company operates across most of Europe’s crucial regulated markets, partnering with the likes of Casumo, LeoVegas, GVC, William Hill, The Rank Group, and Norsk Tipping.​

Australians have an established reputation for being a nation of gambling enthusiasts, currently even holding the top global spot for betting per capita. Given the populace’s ravenous enthusiasm for gambling, regulators are constantly looking to make the local gambling industry as safe and responsible as possible and this has resulted in the creation of some laws and regulations.

Online betting in contention

An increasing number of countries across the globe have started tweaking their laws and attitudes to take full advantage of the opportunities that the online marketplace presents. The casino gaming and sports betting sectors, in particular, have accelerated their development to better ride the wave of digital possibilities. Recent global events have driven innovation in sectors that have also experienced explosive growth over the last year or so.

The Australian gambling marketplace is no exception and there are a plethora of online platforms available to Australians where they can enjoy games like roulette, slots, and poker, with plenty of local listing sites making it easy to find a preferred online provider. The one quirk of this situation is that none of these online casino operators are based in Australia.

The reason for this is that in 2001, the Australian government introduced the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), which bans offering web-based gambling services to Australian citizens. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for enforcing the IGA.

Arguably counterintuitive

The Act has drawn criticism from detractors as it only prohibits the provision of online gambling facilities, but not their usage. This means that Australians can freely engage with offshore operators without any consequences.

The AMCA for its part is left to seek out and block the flourishing outcrops of foreign casino sites, which seems to have proven a challenging task thus far as the country’s gamblers take to these platforms in increasing numbers. According to the AMCA, since its first blocking request in November 2019, 263 illegal gambling websites have been blocked, and around 130 sites have voluntarily left the Australian market since the country’s new illegal offshore gambling rules were implemented in 2017.

While many of these sites are run by reputable operators, there is the danger that players can stumble across services that may not have the highest ethics or best practices, leaving them open to risks like losing their money or even having their online identity stolen. Critics have also pointed out that the Australian economy is missing out on potential tax revenue from an industry that could generate billions.

Only time will tell whether the Australian government decides to follow international trends and embrace the concept of a legalised online gambling industry within the country, or if it will continue along its current trajectory in an effort to shield its citizens from the perils of online gambling.​