GambleAware Week gets underway in New South Wales
The campaign aims to encourage people to adopt strategies to avoid gambling-harm-related issues.
Australia.- New South Wales (NSW) GambleAware Week began yesterday (October 21) and will run until Sunday. Events will be held across the state to educate about gambling risks and harm and the of information and support available through GambleAware.
The tagline for this year’s campaign is “Safer gambling. Are you onboard?”. It aims to encourage people to “reflect on their gambling and the gambling of those around them.”
One of the supporters of the event is Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA). RWA CEO Kai Cantwell said: “Strategies such as setting limits, avoiding chasing losses, gambling only when sober, and maintaining a balance between gambling and other activities were simple yet effective ways to minimise harm – ideas we are championing during this year’s GambleAware Week.”
Cantwell said the biggest threat to safe gambling in Australia is the offshore black market. “Unlike licensed Australian operators, illegal offshore providers disregard Australian laws, avoid paying taxes, and fail to protect customers,” he said. “International evidence from Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Norway shows that overregulating the legal market will leave a void for illegal operators, who will exploit vulnerable Australians and target children with predatory ads.”
Cantwell said gamblers aged 18 to 34 and high-stakes players are the most likely to use black market sites. He urged the government to implement reforms to “reduce harm without over-regulating the legal market.”
See also: ACMA blocks 2 more offshore websites
Bill to ban gambling ads
The Australian Greens party has submitted a bill to the senate calling for a ban on all gambling ads in the country. The bill would ban gambling ads on TV, radio, print and online.
The Greens said the move was prompted by “continued delays by the government” on introducing a ban as recommended in a report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs led by Labor MP Peta Murphy.
Communications minister Michelle Rowland had said the Labor Party would announce a plan before the end of the year. In September, Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell claimed the government of prime minister Anthony Albanese was reportedly planning to implement a ban on digital gambling ads and a prohibition on TV ads for one hour before and after sports broadcasts.
