This week’s Australia gambling gossip covers the Bet365/Sportsbet fiasco, Cashless Gambling Cards, Facial Recognition & Tagline Wagering Ads! (Photo by vectors icon on pexels.com)
In this week’s Australia Gambling Gossip, you get to catch up on news covering a series of revelations rattling the grapevines of the country’s newswires.
Entain is under investigation by the Financial Crime Watchdog, while Bet365 and Sportsbet are also under the radar. It looks like an epic saga that could result in hefty fines if any of these companies have broken the rules.
Plus, there’s more Australia gambling gossip covering ‘New Taglines in Wagering Ads’, ‘Facial Recognition Technology coming to NSW land-based venues’, and the confusing scenario in which ‘NSW Labor is Refusing to Commit to a Cashless Gambling Card’.
The Australian gambling market is one the largest in the world, if not the largest! It is certainly on par with the UK, dubbed as having the world’s highest gambling revenue. The key difference between the two is that iGaming (online casinos) and sports betting in the UK are legal, while iGaming comes into somewhat of a grey zone under Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act.
There are plenty of online casinos accepting Australian players, and there is nothing illegal about this, but the government is still trying to put a stop to access by placing domain name restrictions via the country’s ISPs. However, that’s another saga altogether, and one already covered in depth. Instead, let’s get into some of the most recent gambling news circulating in the country!
Bet365 and Sportsbet Face Audit by Financial Crime Watchdog
Australia’s financial crime watchdog has ordered an audit of Bet365 and Sportsbet for their compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws. This follows a comprehensive supervisory campaign and an investigation into the corporate bookmaking industry in Australia. This follows the regulator’s already underway investigation into another online sportsbook, Entain.
All three companies have been accused of money laundering, a serious crime that could lead to imprisonment or worse. Australian financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC has ordered both companies to appoint independent auditors to review their compliance with AML and counter-terrorism laws.
Sportsbet and Bet365 have to report back to Austrac within 180 days of the audit. The audit will evaluate their AML/CTF programmes, including risk-based systems and controls.
Gambling News Covered in this Report
- Bet365 and Sportsbet Financial Audits by Crime Watchdog
- NSW Labor Refusing Cashless Gambling Card
- Australia Enforcing New Taglines for Wagering Ads
- Facial Recognition Tech to Identify Self-Excluded Players
More Australian Gambling Gossip
NSW Labor Refusing to Commit to a Cashless Gambling Card
The government’s refusal to commit to a cashless gambling card has sparked a backlash among crossbench NSW MPs. They are calling for a special inquiry into the industry’s practices, which they say are harming the public. They also want to see if gambling companies are influencing public policy.
Despite the fact that the NSW Crime Commission has called for cashless gaming cards in the state, NSW Labor is still refusing to endorse the policy. They say they will study the issue and consult with industry representatives, but they have not formally committed. They claim the industry will lose jobs and that cashless cards will cost $1.8 billion if they are to be used as a casino payment method.
The government’s failure to commit to a cashless gambling card has led to a debate among anti-gambling groups. Proponents of such a measure argue that a cashless gambling card will reduce the harm caused by problem gambling, reduce the chances of criminal money laundering, and help curb the spread of illegal gambling.
NSW Labor’s refusal to commit to a cashless gambling card comes despite the Crime Commission’s report, which called for radical reforms to reduce problem gambling. It seems counterproductive in many ways, but what do I know!
Australia to Enforce New Taglines in Wagering Ads
The Australian government has announced that it will enforce new taglines on wagering ads with new rules coming into effect in April next year. The move is an effort to prevent the spread of gambling addiction. According to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, there are around 948 gambling advertisements on free-to-air television in Australia every day.
Advertising guidelines are being introduced after an investigation into the impact of gambling ads on people’s lives. The O’Farrell inquiry was launched in 2015 after fears were raised about the impact of gambling advertising on Australians.
As a result, new regulations will also require gambling operators to include a warning about gambling harm and problem gambling when advertising bonus code promos and any other betting services. Gambling companies will also have to rotate seven taglines over a 12-month period to avoid ad fatigue. A government official explained that the new legislation is necessary because online gambling is quickly becoming a huge source of financial loss.
Gambling ads will include graphic images similar to those used to show the harm that tobacco can cause. The federal government says it hopes the new rules will encourage gambling awareness and help people who are experiencing problem gambling.
Facial Recognition Technology in NSW Venues to Identify Self-Excluded People
The introduction of facial recognition technology in NSW venues has raised a number of questions, including how this technology will improve the way venues identify self-excluded people. Ultimately, the goal is to improve self-reporting and reduce the risk of patrons breaching self-excluded agreements. However, it also carries the risk of bias and misidentification. Though gambling industry bodies have said the technology will only be used to identify self-excluded people, the draft NSW law is not yet clear if this will be the case. In the meantime, the Australian Human Rights Commission has called for stronger human rights protections to be put in place if the tech is put into use.
NSW Gaming Associations have said they are working to develop state-of-the-art technology that will identify self-excluded people in gaming rooms. The technology is intended to help problem gamblers gain control of their addictions. In NSW, about one in 100 adults is self-excluded, and this initiative aims to help them gain control over their gambling habits.
The introduction of facial recognition technology in NSW venues has been welcomed by NSW gaming minister Kevin Anderson. However, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann has said the technology will not reduce the harms associated with gambling. This is also a technology discussed in the recent UK casino gossip in which it mentioned the country is already set to add facial technology to thousands of machines to tackle the problem of underage gambling.
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