By Government agrees to ad opt-out register in deal with Coalition to pass gambling reforms
Anthony Albanese pushed back against an opt-in system for online gambling ads. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
In short:
Labor and the Coalition have agreed to establish a single register allowing Australians to opt out of wagering ads across online platforms, as part of a tentative deal to pass gambling reforms.
The amendments would also restrict inducements targeting vulnerable gamblers and crack down on spending-based commissions for VIP account managers.
What’s next?
The deal will go to Labor’s caucus and the Coalition’s party room for final approval tomorrow, before the amendments are moved in parliament.
A “one-stop shop” allowing Australians to opt out of wagering advertising online has been agreed to by Labor and the Coalition in a tentative deal to pass the federal government’s gambling reforms.
The government and opposition briefed a Labor backbench committee and the Coalition shadow ministry on agreed amendments this evening, ahead of a full caucus and party room meeting for final approval tomorrow morning.
Communications Minister Anika Wells used a speech in parliament today, before the deal was finalised, to signal Labor was poised to move on so-called gambling inducements and online ads, after criticism its bill did not go far enough.
“It is expected that the government’s reforms will respond to these concerns by introducing new restrictions on inducement-based marketing and establishing the wagering advertising opt-out register, which will provide Australians with a one-stop shop to opt out of seeing wagering advertising on online platforms,” she said.
Anika Wells flagged the government’s willingness to compromise earlier today. (ABC News: Joel Wilson)
In addition to TV and radio restrictions, the government’s current draft bill creates a “triple lock” system that would require social media, streaming and other online platforms only show gambling ads to logged-in users verified as over 18.
The platforms would also have to give every adult the ability to opt out, a system criticised by the Greens and Coalition as too onerous for Australians who would have to do this manually for every online account.
Some of the naysayers had advocated for an opt-in system instead, but as the ABC revealed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was not prepared to entertain such a large change.
Instead, the compromise position put forward by the Coalition was to create a single register for Australians to indicate their wish to opt out of gambling ads.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Mr Albanese met several times to negotiate the gambling laws, which Labor is seeking to pass by the end of this week.
The Coalition will back Labor’s gambling law reforms after reaching a deal with the government. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Proposed opt-out register questioned by industry
The opt-out register would be established by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), with people able to request their various online accounts be blocked from viewing gambling advertising.
It is understood the plan would be for people to provide information such as their email address linked to the platform they are seeking to opt out of ads on.
The register is not expected to be in place immediately from January 1, when the broader ad restrictions are due to take effect.
Its principle would be similar to the existing “do not call” register, which is a secure government database where Australians can opt out of receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls.
But tonight, multiple sources in the wagering and tech industry immediately questioned how this approach would be feasible, given the complexity and breadth of online platforms.
There were also concerns raised about who would pay for the register and how.
Currently, the federal government’s wagering self-exclusion register, Betstop, is funded by gambling companies, who contribute an amount effectively based on a ratio of their market share.
But one wagering source said companies did not expect to pay for the administration of a second register for advertising.
A tech industry source said an opt-out system made available to individuals was “very different” compared to requiring platforms to proactively comply with a centralised register.
Targeted restriction of inducements proposed
Rather than a broader crackdown on gambling inducements, such as bonus bet offers, amendments to the legislation are aimed at protecting vulnerable and high-spending gamblers.
It is understood this would include creating a cooling period preventing gambling companies from sending inducements to any new accounts or to people who have recently removed themselves from Betstop.
The proposed amendments are also expected to crack down on VIP account managers at wagering companies earning commissions based on their clients’ spending.
The ABC reported last year that Sportsbet and Tabcorp have already stopped this practice.
Discussions are also ongoing about an independent review mechanism to assess the effectiveness of the laws in the future.
Last week, Liberal MP Simon Kennedy used a speech in parliament to back this idea.
“There should be an independent review of wherever we land after the next election, so we can do more,”
he said.
Senate inquiry report makes one recommendation
A report released tonight, following a short two-day inquiry into the government’s gambling legislation earlier this month, recommended the bills be passed.
The single recommendation from the government-authored report was described as “not surprising, but tragic” by independent ACT senator David Pocock.
“We heard from basically everyone other than the gambling companies who said this bill does not protect children, it doesn’t break the link between sport and gambling companies,” he told the ABC.
Senator Pocock wrote a dissenting report from the inquiry, calling on the government to implement the original recommendations put forward in the You Win Some, You Lose More report by late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
This included a full ban on gambling ads being phased in over three years, an immediate ban on gambling inducements, and the establishment of a single national online gambling regulator.
Senator Pocock also provided fallback amendments to strengthen Labor’s existing bill, including extending the gambling ad ban during live sport to after 8:30pm, and replacing the online opt-out “triple lock” system with an opt-in model.
David Pocock called on the government to adopt the recommendations of Peta Murphy’s report. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
In his report, Senator Pocock referenced evidence given to the inquiry by the family of a 24-year-old man with a severe gambling addiction who died by suicide.
The witnesses told the Senate committee there were “no words to describe this pain”, and the family now “lives a half-life”.
The Greens also provided a dissenting report, arguing the minor party would not support the bill in its current form.
Greens communications spokeswoman senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for a complete ban on all online gambling ads, the establishment of a national regulator and an end to inducements.
She also recommended the introduction of separate legislation requiring gambling companies to forfeit money they received that was the proceeds of crime.
That was based on evidence heard by the inquiry that wagering companies could retain money gambled by customers who obtained it through criminal offending.
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original