Queensland set to implement tougher legislation targeting online gambling inducements

Australia’s Queensland government has introduced draft legislation which would outlaw inducements and free offers for online gambling in the Australian state.

Yvette D’Ath, Queensland attorney general and minister for justice, said the new proposed laws were “aimed squarely” at reducing gambling harm to Queenslanders.

The newly introduced ban builds on the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering which was signed in November 2018 between the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments.

Inducements such as free bets when opening an online account were outlawed under the 2018 framework, but this latest legislation takes that ban one step further.

Under the new legislation, inducements will be banned from being offered to punters when they attempt to close an account, unsubscribe from a direct mailing list, and when referring a friend to open a new account.

D’Ath said: “The rate of online problem gambling is three times higher than other types of gambling and we’re determined to drive this rate down.

“We know that inducements to open an account, such as free bonus bets, are being offered by some online wagering operators and that this is contributing to excessive and unsafe gambling levels.

“This is all part of the Palaszczuk government’s ongoing efforts to tackle problem gambling and the harm it causes,” she added.

The move to introduce stricter regulations around inducements is yet another caveat in Queensland’s gambling harm and prevention services.

Queensland’s government currently provides more than A$6.7m in funding each year to assisting the treatment of problem gamblers in the north eastern state.