Australia Opposition leader proposes gambling overhaul
Customer credit facilities could be banned, while national gambling regulator faces axe
Online egaming operators will be blocked from providing credit to Australian consumers under plans unveiled by the country’s Opposition leader Tony Abbott.
The Coalition would also axe the country’s Labor-backed national gambling regulator, claiming that its role is already being fulfilled by Australian states.
Abbot has pledged to make it illegal for online gambling companies to offer customers a credit facility if his Liberal/National Coalition party is successful in September’s election.
Victorian Liberal MP Alan Tudge has campaigned against gambler credit, claiming it to run contrary to responsible gambling principles.
The country’s Productivity Commission found that the notion of providing gamblers with a credit facility was more highly concentrated in online gambling, and that problem gamblers were most likely to accept it.
The proposals follow a number of high-profile cases in the country involving athletes indulging in online gambling through the use of operator-provided credit facilities. 23-year old Australian rugby league player Ben Barba revealed the extent of his gambling problem in February this year.
Abbott’s proposals come at a time when online gambling companies are facing the full brunt of legislation in Australia, having seen a nationwide ban on live gambling odds installed earlier this month.