In a report released last week, the Senate Select Committee on Information Technologies recommended Federal, State and Territory governments work together to develop uniform and strict regulatory controls with a focus on consumer protection through the Ministerial Council on Gambling.
The report, Netbets -- A review of online gambling in Australia, recommended no further online licences be granted in Australia for a limited period of time, pending the implementation of the consumer protection policies.
Chair of the senate select committee, Senator Jeannie Ferris said the moratorium would provide an incentive to the States and Territories to adopt the recommendations.
She said the report established a framework for the regulation of Australia's online gambling industry to promote safe and responsible gambling.
About 14 corporations are involved in online gambling in Australia, according to the report, which noted the Productivity Commission estimated that in 1998-1999, almost 90,000 Australians, or 0.6 per cent of the adult population, had gambled on the Internet.
Online gambling: the new economy?
The report noted online gambling in Australia was "a modern industry that is set to grow as quickly as its enabling technology, the Internet".
It said a significant challenge lay in developing strict regulatory models that met the challenges posed by the new technology.
"The models should include, at their forefront, features to assist problem gamblers and ensure the highest consumer standards for protecting players," it said.
The committee recommended harm minimisation policies focusing on consumer protection and problem gambling, including outlawing direct credit card online gambling, self and third party exclusion, predetermined betting amounts, limited gambling times with a regular cooling off period and a permanent screen display of financial losses and gains.
It also recommended some revenue from gambling be used to fund a national education campaign on the dangers of gambling and programs to assist gamblers who want to undergo rehabilitation.
Public and private goals the same?
Australian Casino Association online gambling taskforce vice president, Greg Farrell said the report reinforced what ACA had continually promoted: the need for a tightly regulated, responsible and consumer safe online gambling industry in Australia.
"Clearly we do not agree with every single recommendation but we agree with the general thrust of the report in relation to consumer protection, which is something we have advocated for some time," Mr Farrell said.
