Victorian gambling harm service advocates for more online gambling protection

The paper examines the expansion of gambling activities across platforms and technologies.

03/08/23

The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) has issued a paper entitled “gambling harm and the online gambling environment”.

Australia.- The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) has released a discussion paper entitled “Gambling harm and the online gambling environment.” The paper calls for enhanced consumer protection for online gambling.

The paper examines the expansion of gambling activities across platforms and technologies, the risk of harm, and the resulting need to strengthen consumer protections. According to the VRGF, betting on races, sports and novelty events is now largely conducted online, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic and lengthy periods of lockdown.

The paper highlights the offering of gambling products to consumers through technologies that facilitate a direct transaction between the provider and the consumer. It says this ease of access, together with inducements, complex offers and the availability of credit, facilitates risky betting and harmful spending.

The paper says that many interactive online games, including those accessed by children, simulate gambling or contain chance-based characteristics that replicate features associated with gambling harm. These products do not fit into current legal definitions of gambling.

The discussion paper also argues that gambling ads are “saturating the market across all media” and “normalise” gambling for adults and children. It warns of “dark marketing” tactics that can pose a significant risk to those vulnerable to gambling harm, especially young people.

The VRGF argues that addressing these issues is critical to preventing and reducing gambling harm in the online gambling environment.

In February, the VRGF claimed that adverts for its Gambler’s Help treatment service had been automatically blocked by Google. The foundation argued that the search giant failed to differentiate its harm minimisation programmes from gambling industry offers and promotions.