Crackdown looms on ‘over-the-top’ inducements
Reform around the inducements that wagering companies can offer customers to continue betting are expected to be front and centre in amendments put forward to federal parliament next week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has given his strongest signal yet that the Federal Government will move to wind back gambling inducements, arguing promotions designed to encourage betting can worsen gambling harm and addiction.
Responding to questions about the role of inducements, or generosities, in the wagering sector, Albanese said such practices had “gone over the top” and required tighter restrictions.
“That they’re over the top and they need to be wound back,” the Prime Minister said on Friday when asked of his opinions on the practice.
“Some of the inducements that will encourage people into the system are just not on. They need to be wound back. We’re going to wind them back.”
The comments come as the Government continues to consider further gambling reforms and works with other parties across Parliament on potential legislative changes that are expected to be confirmed next week.
Albanese framed the issue not as opposition to gambling itself, but as a response to gambling addiction and the harm that can result when operators use incentives to encourage further betting activity.
“The problem is addiction,” he said.
“And when someone has an addiction, if there are inducements that are encouraging that addiction, that’s a bad thing.”
“The problem is, if it’s an addiction, whether it’s gambling, whether it’s alcoholism, whether it’s drug addiction, that is where problems arise.”
Albanese said gambling addiction could have significant consequences for individuals and families and argued the Government had already implemented more gambling reforms than any previous federal administration.
“We have already, before this legislation, put in place more reforms and restrictions on gambling than any government in the previous 122 years since Federation,” he said.
He pointed to the national self-exclusion register BetStop as one of the Government’s most significant reforms, describing it as “a huge success”.
A strengthened and better resourced BetStop is part of the current legislation put forward by Labor.
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