Australian trade body insists Covid-19 gambling rise reports need context
Responsible Wagering Australia urges public to acknowledge retail closures in online migration not limited to gambling
Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) has urged the public to interpret exaggerated reports of a mass-gambling surge during the Covid-19 lockdown with context and caution.
The independent body noted that reports indicating an alarming rise in gambling activity had misconstrued consumer credit data to create a false narrative.
A rise in online gambling was recorded during the Covid-19 crisis, but RWA CEO Brent Jackson said this was being reported without the caveats and special circumstances behind the rise.
Jackson said: “Historical consumer credit data is being used to create alarmist reports that gambling has surged during the Covid-19 crisis.
“Without context, people assume that increase in online gambling during Covid-19 automatically means an increase in overall gambling activity. This isn’t the industry experience, and credible data sources aren’t suggesting that either.
“With over-the-counter betting and gambling outlets closed by Covid-19 restrictions, people have migrated to online platforms, as with nearly every retail business in the country,” he added.
Jackson argued that public and press focus should shift from an increase in online gambling, and towards the uptake in unlicensed overseas firms taking advantage of the growth in activity, labelling them as a “major threat to responsible gambling in Australia”.
Jackson continued: “Our concern is that a lot of the growth in online gambling has gone to unlicensed overseas betting websites that offer no consumer protections at all.
“While it’s against the law for businesses to provide these betting games to the Australian market, it isn’t actually illegal for Australians to access them, and this puts consumers, including children and vulnerable people, at major risk.
“The growth of smartphones combined with the high number of illegal overseas gambling websites targeting Australians 24/7 means that many people are walking around with an unlicensed casino in their pocket,” he concluded.