The Australian government has today announced a review of illegal offshore wagering.
Minister for Social Services, Scott Morrison, announced that the review will investigate methods of strengthening enforcement and ensuring Australians are protected from illegal online betting operators.
“According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) online gambling is a $1.6 billion dollar business in Australia with sixty percent of this revenue going offshore to more than 2,000 sites beyond the reach of our regulators and tax collectors,” Minister Morrison said.
“Unlike Australia’s licensed operators, overseas agencies don’t contribute product fees to racing and sporting bodies, do not comply with Australia’s legal system and are not obligated to monitor and report suspicious betting activity.
“Illegal offshore wagering also leaves Australian punters without protection for payouts on their winnings.
The review will also be used to look at methods to protect those vulnerable to problem gambling.
“More than 400,000 Australians, mainly men, have gambling problems. These issues can affect hundreds of thousands of Australian families and the children growing up in them.
Racing Australia released a statement supporting the review and has put forward key objectives that it would like to see addressed by the review, including:
1. Safeguard integrity in racing and sport.
2. Secure racing and sports’ revenue.
3. Protect against problem gambling.
4. Ensure minors are not able to access wagering or gambling on the internet.
5. Guard against proliferation of online gambling (eg, casinos, pokies).
Recommendations are to be given to the federal government by December 18.
