The Public Accounts and Estimates Committee in the Australian state of Victoria is pushing for the state government to introduce restrictions on gambling advertising during primetime TV broadcasts and in public places.
The committee wishes to follow a similar guidance to that of the South Australian Government’s gambling advertising Codes of Practice, which has a ban on gambling adverts on TV between the hours of 4pm and 7:30pm.
The report – Gambling and liquor regulation in Victoria: a follow up of three Auditor-General reports – is a culmination of over eight months by the PAEC reviewing three Auditor-General’s reports relating to the regulation of gambling and liquor, and reducing the harm caused by gambling.
“Our report’s 96 findings and 61 recommendations have been informed by 54 public submissions, three days of public hearings, a Geelong site visit and a youth roundtable,” commented Committee Chair Sarah Connolly.
The report cited a 2021 Australian Communications and Media Authority-commissioned study that found an “average of 948 gambling ads were broadcast daily on free-to-air TV and an average of 148 gambling ads were broadcast between 6.00pm–8.30pm every weeknight”.
In addition, the report stated that “between May 2022 and April 2023, more than one million gambling ads aired on free-to-air television and radio across Australia, the ‘clear majority’ being from online wagering companies”.
Connolly noted: “More appropriate regulations and safeguards are needed to protect Victorians, especially our children and young people.”
A group of young people who shared their lived experiences with gambling and alcohol during an event at Parliament House in August were also present in Parliament for the tabling of the report earlier this week.
The report has also asked the government to consider reducing the total number of electronic gaming machines across the state and updating the gambling and alcohol-related harms education resources for students.
The PAEC has also recommended that any venue that wishes to increase the number of EGMs it has must prove that it will provide a “net economic and social benefit” to the community.
It has also been recommended that the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission establish a regular consultation with the local government regarding the current gambling regulations in the state and any measures that could be taken to reduce gambling harm.
The Victorian government has been asked to review daily, weekly and annual gambling loss limits as well, including examining frameworks present in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Tasmania.
The government is also being asked to work with the Coroners Court of Victoria to expand its data analysis of gambling-related suicides in Victoria, as well as explore if the Community Support Fund can provide greater support for programmes to prevent and reduce gambling harm.
In addition, the report is also asking the government to review what percentage of gaming revenue is redirected into the community and if there is a public benefit to redirecting the 8.33 per cent of gaming revenue of clubs with electronic gaming machine licences to a publicly-managed fund targeted towards reducing and preventing gambling harm.
The PAEC has also recommended that the VGCCC increase the number of ‘mystery shopper’ compliance exercises it conducts, as well as develop performance measures that show the impact of its harm minimisation legislative responsibilities.
The committee has also asked for gambling prevention and treatment programmes to be delivered by a health-based agency, as well as support the development of a gambling research plan to guide future funded research, address evidence gaps and improve treatment.
The report also calls for an update to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s reducing gambling harm outcomes framework, for the government to advocate for comprehensive anonymised data from online gambling providers on product use by customers, and real-time anonymised data from online providers as a licensing condition.
The PAEC has also recommended the government consider how Gambling Codes of Conduct and minimisation ministerial directions can be designed to minimise gambling harm in young people, as well as an update to resources available, and for future licences to include gambling harm minimisation conditions.
The report is also asking the government to provide in-principle support for a national ombudsman for complaints against online gambling providers.
To read the full report from the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, click here.
