Credit cards out
Several of those who appeared backed Ms Bligh’s call for a ban on the use of credit cards to pay for deposits into online betting accounts. Ms Bligh said operators had been exploiting a loophole since the early 2000s that banned credit cards from gambling in the physical world like in hotels, casinos and TABs, but not at online providers.
But much of the inquiry has been focused on the sheer volume that online bookmakers spend on gambling advertising. All participants suggested they were open to stronger advertising regulations.
Tabcorp boss Adam Rytenskild declared the “proliferation of gambling advertising, we believe, has gone too far” and called for gambling advertising to be banned on free-to-air television between 6:30am and 8:30pm.
Tabcorp CEO Adam Rytenskild. Alex Ellinghausen
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo suggested the inquiry look at regulatory changes that would restrict so-called “inducement advertising”, referring to advertisements that spruik cash-back offers, free bets or bonus bets. The codes have heard from fans, particularly those with children, that advertising that promotes live odds and offers anger them.
“Brand marketing is very different to tactical, or these inducements, they’re just not all the same,” Mr McLachlan said. “The inducements particularly are on social [media] and coming up on your phones.”
“That’s where I’d be targeting the focus because that’s where you’ll get bang for your buck.”
Mr Abdo said: “We also support further exploration of the type of advertising that is permitted. We think it needs to be balanced, we think it needs to be data-led, as opposed to a blanket ban”.
Sportsbet CEO Barni Evans, whose company has a commercial agreement with the AFL and NRL, called for a national approach around inducement advertising. But Mr Evans warned of “unintended consequences” of over-regulating the industry, claiming that would push customers offshore or to use black-market operators.
“We acknowledge there is some community sentiment around the volume of advertising,” Mr Evans said. “That’s why we are here, we get it.
“(But) we need nuance and awareness of the unintended consequence of any blanket approach that would apply.”