Thunder Down Under By Eugene Gerden
The gambling sector of Australia is an acute need of reforms, due to the lack of protection of certain high-risk groups and inconsistent state standards in this field, experts say.
According to a recent study, conducted by Macau Polytechnic University and analysts of the Social Policy Research Center at the University of New South Wales, a number of “high-risk groups in the country among which are some ethnic communities, low-income individuals, and young people remain inadequately protected from gambling and associated with its negative effects.” This is despite serious efforts undertaken by the Australian central government and the authorities of some major states of the country in recent years to better regulate gambling activities within their territories.
Since the late 1990s, state and federal governments have introduced a range of measures, from self-exclusion programs and pre-commitment systems to advertising restrictions and credit-card bans. However, according to analysts, these measures are still insufficient and there is a need for newer, more strict regulations.
Big Spenders
At present, Australia has a well-developed, large-scale gambling sector. This is also reflected by statistics. According to the report of Macau Polytechnic and the University of NSW, Australia has one of the highest gambling expenditures per capita in the world, with an average annual spend of over AU$1,200 ($800).
Australians spend about AU$25 billion ($16.7 billion) on gambling, including A$12 billion ($8 billion) on electronic gaming machines alone. The introduction of tighter regulation in the industry is considered as one of the priorities by the Australian government currently. According to state experts and independent analysts, fragmented and inconsistent standards currently remain among the most pressing problems of the industry. Each state and territory in Australia regulates land-based gambling independently. The federal government oversees
online gambling by the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which outlines the general regulation of online gambling in Australia.
Still, the existing inconsistency, according to analysts, creates some problems for the industry. It is also considered that the current level of fines and penalties in the industry remains too low. This means that most of local operators prefer to pay fines instead of taking measures to solve existing problems.
However, implementation of reforms may face serious difficulties, due to the strong connections of local gambling operators to Australian state bodies and major political parties.
Gross Disparities
The biggest negative impacts of gambling in Australia are currently observed among communities of Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian descent. For example, in some Chinese- speaking groups, the rate of problem gambling is estimated at over 15 percent, compared with 0.5 percent to one percent in the general population. As a rule, local operators have actively targeted these communities, with special marketing strategies, including languageservices and ethnic cuisine.
Another problem is the high concentration of gambling venues in Australia in poorer communities, rather than in wealthier ones. According to official statistics, the lowest-income people in Australia spent over 10 percent of their income on gambling, while the highest-income less than one percent. To protect vulnerable individuals, the Australian government launched BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, on August 21, 2023. However, the problem still remains pressing. On June 11, 2024, the federal government officially banned using credit
cards for online gambling. This act brings online wagering in line with land-based gambling regulations, where credit-card use is already banned. The government has also plans to start closer regulation of digital gambling including online sports betting, esports betting, and gamified gambling apps, in order to reduce their negative impacts on local
youth. According to official statistics, between 2019 and 2022 the share of 18- to 24-year-olds who had gambled online rose sharply.
An Overarching Solution?
One of the possible options for implementing greater regulation in the sector would be to establish a national gambling operator, which is currently being considered by the Australian federal government. That would help to introduce national regulation, standardizing tax rates and maintaining reasonable, uniform standards of regulation and enforcement.
Experts predict that sports betting and casino-style gaming will dominate Australia’s gambling landscape in the coming years, prompting further discussions on regulation and harm prevention. In recent years, the number of online-gambling operators in Australia has significantly increased, with major operators like Gigabet and Titanbet entering the market. More
people are participating in various forms of online betting, including sports betting, casino games, poker and more.
*** This article was originally published in the December 2025 edition of Casino Life Magazine Issue 183 ***
