Australia should have an independent regulator for online gambling, the country’s Alliance for Gambling Reform has urged.
An ombudsman should also be appointed, said the anti-gambling organisation, making the suggestions at a time when a federal parliamentary inquiry is looking at gambling reform.
The AGR urges that the health issues surrounding compulsive gambling should be treated by the public health services, in the same way as tobacco and alcohol.
It argues that federal controls should replace what it calls "a messy mix of state, territory and federal laws." At the same time, it said, the prevention of harm was left with companies that had a clear conflict of interest.
The AGR said: “In the past year alone we have seen casino reviews in most jurisdictions, evidence of money laundering in pubs and clubs and increased advertising, promotions and inducements from online bookmakers. All reflect a failing regulatory system.
“Ideally, the different processes, legislation, departments and regulatory systems in each state need to be replaced with a single, independent, sufficiently resourced national regulator with gambling harm minimisation at the core of its purpose.
"While casinos and poker machine gaming are governed by state and territory laws, regulation of the booming online wagering industry is largely the domain of the Commonwealth.”
