“Governments have the power to control advertising. Such controls worked effectively in reducing tobacco use – without introducing a prohibition on tobacco. Stopping the advertising of gambling is long overdue,” says political columnist MICHAEL MOORE. 

THE Queensland government was certain it could keep Star Casino clean. Revelations by ABC Investigations are telling a different story.

Although the harms of gambling go well beyond criminal activity and money laundering, it seems that governments cannot get the upper hand.

Australia has the highest per capita losses through gambling in the world. A few years ago pokies were the major problem with gambling addiction. Now there is online gambling. Prohibiting gambling will not work. However, there are things that governments can do to regulate the industry.

Let’s start with advertising. It’s gobsmacking that gambling businesses can advertise in a way that reaches children. Self-regulation has proven completely impotent. It does not take much watching of commercial television to realise just how insidiously the gambling industry reaches out to people – including children.

Maybe it was because we all watched more television during covid, but it certainly feels like our free-to-air television has been swamped with the marketing of online gambling. These are such clever advertisements. It is all about the fun and never about the pain. Often the word gambling is not even mentioned … “take it to the NED’s level” is just one example.

According to Gambling Victoria: “NieIsen research found an average of 948 gambling ads were broadcast daily on free-to-air TV in Victoria in 2021, an increase from 374 ads each day in 2016”. That is considerably more than doubled. They also point out that “an average of 148 gambling ads were broadcast on free-to-air TV between 6pm-8.30pm every weeknight, during the primetime family viewing slot”. The goal, like Big Tobacco, is to get kids hooked!

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare advised that “Australians lost approximately $25 billion on legal forms of gambling in 2018-19, representing the largest per capita losses in the world”. 

The Institute pointed out that: “The social costs of gambling – including adverse financial impacts, emotional and psychological costs, relationship and family impacts, and productivity loss and work impacts – have been estimated at around $7 billion in Victoria alone.”

Apart from lotto and scratchies, the most common form of gambling in 2018 was poker machines. However, although the transition to favouring online gambling was well underway, it ramped up very quickly during covid. According to the Statista Research Department, 62 per cent of gambling was online before covid and 23.5 per cent in clubs, pubs and similar venues. During covid this moved to 78 per cent online and down to just 8.1 per cent in these venues.

Governments have the power to control advertising. Such controls worked effectively in reducing tobacco use – without introducing a prohibition on tobacco. Stopping the advertising of gambling is long overdue. 

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) points out it started enforcing new, illegal offshore online gambling services in 2017. Since then 568 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked. 

Online sports betting has not quite doubled between 2020 and 2021. The ACMA report published also pointed to 16 per cent of Australians who switched to online gambling were gambling more frequently than before the advent of COVID-19. 

Not enough is being done; the marketing of online, and all other forms of gambling should be closed down and in particular, advertising on free-to-air television. This would be a major step forward, but would not stop those who enjoy an occasional flutter from indulging in this pastime.

Finally, governments have assured the community again and again that casinos can operate without the support of criminal elements. Again and again there are examples of money laundering by big rollers and involvement of serious criminal elements. Since February 1973 when Australia’s first casino opened at Wrest Point in Tasmania, casinos have been open to exploitation by such elements. 

The latest revelations by ABC Investigations indicate that Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, a major supporter of the new Queensland Star Casino, is linked to Chinese Triads. The journalists suggest that they have uncovered “long association with notorious organised crime figures”. This information has been referred by the attorney-general to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation. This is the very body that conducted the probity check in 2015.

Australia has the highest per capita losses through gambling in the world. It is time for effective regulation of this out-of-control industry.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.