Tabcorp wants Victoria to follow Queensland’s lead on online betting tax

Tabcorp, with the support of the Alliance for Gambling Reform and the Australian Hotel Association, is pushing the government of Victoria to increase the tax on online betting operators.

Australia.- After convincing the state of Queensland to add a 5 per cent racing levy to its betting tax, Tabcorp is going for more. Australia’s largest gambling company is now pushing Victoria to follow Queensland’s steps and raise the level of tax on online bookmakers.

The Point of Consumption tax was first introduced in Victoria in 2019 at 8 per cent, the lowest of any jurisdiction in Australia. Two years later, it was raised to 10 per cent, but that’s still low compared South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and the ACT, which take 15 per cent.

Tabcorp has allied with the anti-gambling group The Alliance for Gambling Reform to call for an overhaul of the tax, licencing and advertising arrangements for online bookmakers.

Tim Costello, chief advocate for the alliance, told The Age: “Even at a 20 per cent point of consumption tax Victoria will claw back a bit more, but these are still foreign-owned companies not paying their fair share of tax.”

Tabcorp chief executive Adam Rytenskild said: “TAB pays double the fees and taxes, which works in a monopoly environment, but the market share has changed. Online operators have increased their share and should be contributing to the industry on a level playing field.

“All we want is a level playing field where everyone pays the same taxes and fees. That’s fair.”