Think tank calls for limits on gambling losses and a total ban on advertising
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Think tank calls for limits on gambling losses and a total ban on advertising

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The Grattan Institute report is the latest warning about the harms of gambling, and comes as the federal government considers a partial ban on gambling advertising.
Instead of introducing a blanket ban, as proposed by the late Labour MP Peta Murphy, the government is considering a range of restrictions, such as banning adverts during live sporting events and limiting betting adverts to two per hour as part of an overall scheme.

Grattan Institute chief executive Aruna Sathanapally says there are too many poker machines in Australia.

“What we found in our research is that the types of machines that are available in Australia, in other countries are usually limited to casinos, but we have them in our suburbs. Our analysis showed that we have more slot machines across Australia than we have ATMs, post offices, public toilets, and those losses are really concentrated in our most deprived suburbs.”
Fairfield in Sydney is one example where, according to the Grattan Institute, gambling losses are three times higher than the New South Wales state average.
In Victoria, Brimbank and Dandenong have been nominated for leading the state’s losses due to slot machines.
It calls for a complete advertising ban, a gradual reduction in the number of poker machines and the introduction of a mandatory pre-commitment mechanism to help protect problem gamblers from large losses.
“A maximum daily amount and a maximum daily and annual amount. We would say that where the Tasmanian Government is looking at $100 a day, $5000 a year is a reasonable place to put the maximum and that way you avoid those catastrophic losses where people lose track of time, lose track of how much they’ve lost and lose much more than they can afford.”
Sydney Wesley Mission describes gambling’s harmfulness as a public health crisis.
The CEO and Superintendent of Wesley’s is Rev. Stu Cameron.
“There is no public health issue where the harm of gambling does not have some causal impact, whether it is domestic and family violence, suicidal ideation, mental health problems, homelessness or the housing crisis. It simply has a myriad of impacts that negatively affect Australians from every background and every postcode in our country.”
There has been an outpouring of support for Grattan’s proposals on the streets of Melbourne.
Person 1: “It doesn’t sound like there’s one negative trait. It sounds like it can only help, not hinder.”
Person 2: “I think some limitations, restrictions, age, would be good.”
Person 3: “Any way to limit the amount would be good if you have a gambling problem. If you can find out about it and you can also get banned. I mean, if your family has had money taken away from them to pay rent or whatever, food, you need that money.”
In a statement to SBS News, the gambling industry lobby group, representing companies including Sportsbet and bet365, said it opposed further restrictions.
Responsible Wagering Australia CEO Kai Cantwell says the organisation aims to reduce exposure of children and vulnerable people to gambling advertising, while also supporting sports and broadcasters who rely on this funding.
“It is crucial to find a balance that prevents Australians from using illegal offshore providers who provide no protection to customers and do not pay the taxes and fees that licensed providers have to pay.”
He says significant progress has been made in improving safety in the industry over the past decade.
“This includes introducing initiatives such as BetStop, encouraging deposit limits, banning credit cards and enforcing strict identity verification measures. Rather than over-regulating the legal market and pushing consumers towards unregulated and unsafe offshore options, governments and industry should prioritise building on these groundbreaking initiatives that help Australians stay in control of their own gambling behaviour.”
The federal government has not yet announced how exactly it will regulate the industry.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland makes this statement to SBS News.
“The Albanian Government takes seriously our responsibility to protect Australians – particularly children and young people – from the harms of online gambling. We are consulting with stakeholders on the proposed model, which focuses on addressing the link between betting and sport, reducing children’s exposure to online betting advertising and addressing gambling advertising saturation. The Albanian Government has made it clear that the current state of affairs is unsustainable. We will have more to say in due course.”
Website https://www.ceath.fr/

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