"ACTING CHAIR —What role, if any, do you see for the Commonwealth in this developing area?
Mr Bridge —We believe the Commonwealth should be concerned with the outcomes of Internet gaming, and we would like to see a Commonwealth code of conduct put forward which would set a benchmark for all Australian casinos or gaming outlets to comply with. We would like this code of conduct to ensure that only gaming operators are licensed to a certain level of probity under state or territory legislation, that privacy of players and security of financial transactions were at a level to ensure that the gambling products offered were fair and that the odds were verified and tested. We would suggest that the code of conduct ensure that access was not allowed to children under the age of 18, that support services were available to people who were developing a gambling problem, that the staff employed by gaming operators had satisfied probity checks of the highest standard, and that some sort of dispute resolution is established which would be passed on to the states to monitor.
I would like to see the state and territory governments continue to regulate the licensees of online gaming in their jurisdictions. Some further roles we see for the federal government
would be to maintain a federal register of links or counselling services and to ensure that the various operations did hot link to those approved education sites.
I feel it is most important that steps be taken to ensure that sites registered for gambling operations under an ISP with a domain name ending with `au' actually are Australian sites and that international operators do not trade off on Australian reputations by creating casino sites with the names like `Casino Australia', `Casino Star Online' or other examples of casinos we have seen operating which have names that infer they operate out of an Australian jurisdiction. We would see a federal role in that line.
A national register for problem gambling could be administered through this, and a person who had decided to exclude himself from one site could be excluded from a number of sites. Our submission goes on to identify that and other areas.
ACTING CHAIR —So the Commonwealth, presumably in consultation with the states, would develop this code of conduct, not dissimilar to the existing model, and the implementation of that code of conduct would be the prerogative of the various states or territories. Is that your basic argument?
Mr Bridge —That is the basic aim. I take Senator Tierney's earlier point that we have difficulty getting our transport system right, with all the different rail gauges around the country at the moment. If we could have a national code of conduct, it would enhance our reputation. Australia already has a very good reputation internationally for gaming services. A number of people come to our country specifically for gaming, and we should ensure that reputation is maintained.
ACTING CHAIR —A number of submissions have been put to us that there should be power in the Commonwealth providing for takedown of unregulated offshore sites. They say that if we are going to have some sort of regime in this country to license and regulate online gambling out of Australia, there should be a provision in the act authorising takedown of sites that are neither regulated nor controlled offshore and might have a dubious degree of propriety about them. Do you have a view on that?
Mr Bridge —I think the federal government has a role in education, to let people know what sites are available in Australia and whether sites which supposedly pertain to Australia are actually in Australia. I expressed concern about some of the sites currently operating that give the impression that they are operating out of Australia when they have no connection with us whatsoever. So I see an educational role. Any site which uses the words, say, `Casino Australia' or has in their domain name the initials `au', indicating that they are in Australia when in fact they are not, should be a matter for the federal authorities."
...
"Senator TIERNEY —Let us look at your industry as an add-on to the already extensive gambling industry in the country. You have a limit of $500 per month, but gamblers—and most certainly problem gamblers—who decide to gamble online are probably not just doing that; they are probably out in clubs and gambling on horse racing and that sort of thing. By allowing widespread online gambling, are we not exacerbating a huge gambling problem that we already have in this country?
Mr Bridge —Online gaming is already here. To our knowledge, there are around 400 online gaming casinos operating that Australians can access. We are advocating the regulation of online gaming and putting in some safeguards and consumer protection. Online gaming is not going to go away nor is the Internet. What we are suggesting here is a way to control and regulate it and ensure that the safeguards and consumer protection are available.
Senator TIERNEY —As I recall, they were the exact arguments for why we brought in TABs as opposed to the Wild West of SP bookies. They have spread right through the pubs and clubs, which has exacerbated our problem of gambling. My central proposition is still the same: if we add another form, we extend the usage, as was the case in New South Wales where the gambling turnover went from $7 billion to $11 billion in four years from 1995 to 1999, driven largely by extending access to gaming machines in clubs into pubs. Why that went up is probably that, instead of going to your local club, you could go to your local corner pub; so it was more accessible. Our huge concern with your industry is that, by allowing gambling in the home, there is a quantum leap in access, particularly for problem gamblers.
Mr Bridge —You have brought the parallel of TABs into it and the eradication, I suppose, of SP bookmakers. There were SP bookmakers all those years ago when TABs were brought in. A similar circumstance applies here today. Let me take that a step further by saying that I believe that the illegal casinos that operated in Kings Cross 25 years ago are not there now because we introduced legal and regulated opportunities at Star City, for arguments sake"
...
"Senator TIERNEY —Thank you. I have one final question, and it is one in which we may have a common interest: the stopping or restriction of, as far as possible, the operation of illegal sites. Have you got any suggestions, through state, territory or federal legislation, where or in what way the impact of illegal sites could be lessened?
Mr Ohlson —I think the best way to look at it is to view what has happened with traditional casinos. Before they arrived in Australia, there was backyard illegal gambling. It was happening, it was underground, and there was no taxation. There were problems occurring. What happens, though, when a regulated casino opens up, is that people move away from those sites to the regulated sites. The best method of stopping the proliferation of online gambling outside of Australia that cannot be controlled, and you are not sure if the decks are correct, is to have regulated gaming. If you have a regulated gaming alternative that the people know they can trust, such as Star City, Crown or any other casino in Australia—that is checked by an independent state or territory body—people will gravitate to them.
What will happen in that case is that the current 250 or 300 illegal casinos will start to move away and become less appealing. I do not believe that someone in Australia would intentionally play at a site other than a fully regulated site in Australia, if they were aware of it.
Senator TIERNEY —But they could more easily fool people, couldn't they? They could put up something that looks like a coat of arms of Australia, or they could call themselves `Lisseters' or some other slight variation on your name and people think they are gambling with you but they are not.
Mr Ohlson —They could. But it comes back to having a federal point that can endorse each site in Australia. I believe it comes back to education again, where we say, `These are the sites that have been approved in Australia and they are run under full regulation.' It is an education process. It may be the case that it can come from a federal perspective."
https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo...sCount=Default
Only took 20 years....
