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Australia

Bookmakers warn of “tough times ahead” as regulators crack down on Australian gambling

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Australia has the world’s largest gambling spend per head. The Melbourne Cup celebrations cause bookies to warn that party could soon be over as political pressure mounts.

 

Australia hosted its 157th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, and parties following the prestigious race event stretched into the early hours – particularly from those of the Emerald Isle. Irish runner Rekindling galloped past the post and claimed the victory, with the nation claiming the top three finishers.

One lucky punter scooping AU$1 million ($767,000 USD) in a TAB promotion and another pulling $151,255 ($115,000USD) from a $50 trifecta wager.

But while punters and the race industry celebrate long into the night, bookmakers have warned that the party could be over for the nation’s betting industry.

Gambling faces a significant backlash from lobbyists and politicians, who are concerned that having the world’s largest gambling spend is also creating the world’s largest gambling problem.

Huge gaming market sparks fears over player safety

Australia has a relatively small population and a well-established betting scene, but it is not as lucrative a market for operators as Las Vegas, Macau or Singapore. However, the AU$23 billion (US$17 billion) market sees the highest spend per person per year, with the average annual loss hitting US$990 in 2016.

A Household, Income and Labour Dynamics survey in August revealed that there are 200,000 problem gamblers in Australia, while figures from the Australian Gambling Statistics Bureau show a spend of $1,241.86 per adult per year.

This is a sharp 7.7% increase on figures from 2014-15, suggesting that gambling spend is rising fast.

While increased spend is usually good for business, bookmakers and casino operators face a backlash from anti-gambling lobbyists who feel there is too little regulation in the gaming industry. To appease campaigners and lessen the general public’s fears, politicians and regulators are trying to crack down on the gambling industry with new taxes and laws.

Bookmakers warn of hard times ahead

The two key measures introduced to curb problem gambling rates are changes to advertising rules and a new point of consumption tax, applied to net wagering revenues and gambling losses at a rate of 15% in South Australia this summer, with other states set to follow.

Bookmakers have warned that the tax could severely reduce profits and could even make operating within the nation an impossibility in the future.

The Financial Times reports that foreign operators William Hill, Bet365 and Ladbrokes have posted losses since they entered the Australian market, while native operator Sportsbet says a nationwide roll-out of the consumption tax could cost the company half of its pre-tax profits.

“There are tough times ahead… This is an earthquake – a seismic event for the industry,” warned Sportsbet CEO Cormac Barry.

Barry’s comments come as another major change takes effect. Advertising laws in Canberra will be changed to prohibit sports bet advertising on television during matches, and before 8.30pm.

Rules may also be introduced which prohibit the promotion of free bets, deposit bonuses and other rewards for players who sign up.

If the laws have an impact, they could be rolled out nationwide – which would severely limit the reach of gambling advertisers and cut them off from their key audience: sports fans.

Calls for pokie reform go unheard

While anti-gambling campaigners will be pleased that advertising laws are changing to limit vulnerable people’s exposure to them, the changes don’t go far enough for some.

Critics say that the biggest danger to players is not the sports bet industry, but the poker machines which are found in clubs and casinos all over the country.

Similar to the UK’s recent ruling on fixed odds betting terminal stakes, campaigners want maximum pokie stakes reduced to AU$1 per person.

The recent Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey found that spend is significantly higher on poker and pokie machines than on sports or race betting – as is the average loss. If Australia wants to make an impact on its problem gambling rates without harming its valuable betting industry, it might need to address the national love of pokies before targeting sports bets.

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Australia

How to choose an online casino in Australia?

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Online games have long occupied a firm place in the lives of many people. For someone it is a distraction from the constant routine of life, someone is just a fan of excitement and increased adrenaline in the blood, and many have long found in online casinos another method of financial gain. However, to get the reliable and comprehensive list of Australian gambling sites – you need to learn few things.

All the casinos have a fairly huge range of different games. And with each new appearance of a game, they all improve, and thanks to new innovations they strike us with realism, and exciting stories.

In today’s world, everything is changing so fast, everything moves at such a pace that it is very difficult to keep up with everything. And it has not the best effect on our lives and our behavior. Because it is always on the go, to solve dozens of questions at the same time, to try to cope with everything at once, and to meet certain deadlines is a hard struggle. If you live in such an incredible rhythm of life, without having a good rest it will never lead you to anything good.

If a full recreation is not for everyone (it can be costly), a little distraction at online casinos – may be your solution. It’s not necessary to play for money, you can try any casino games for free on websites like Toponlinecasinoaustralia.com. This is a nice full recreation. There is absolutely no need to go anywhere, you are at home, or at work, for example, during lunch break, you can afford the minute and distract yourself from mundane problems.

Choosing the best Australian casinos

If you do decide to play for money, the first thing you must do is to carefully examine the gambling site. The very first thing you should pay attention to – it’s of course the license, all the necessary data can always be found on the main page somewhere at the bottom (in the footer of the page). The presence of this document indicates that the site has been thoroughly checked by the relevant authorities, and you can deposit your funds with complete peace of mind. Because even if you have a dispute with the casino – the regulatory body will usually solve such disputes in favor of a player.

Also important are the reviews about the casino, you can read them in all kinds of forums, and you should always look at the ratings, but only those that were created by the players and not the affiliate companies.

Try as much as possible to learn about the attendance of the site, it too can provide you with valuable information, which in future will affect your choice of site for the game.

It’s also worth checking how long the site has been up to date, when a new game was added, because if the last update was, for example, six years ago, then this site is unlikely to be worth dealing with.

When during registration you will find information that informs you of the limitation on the withdrawal of winnings, it is better to immediately stop at this place and do not continue registration. So, this is a clear example of violation of player’s rights, no site can prohibit you in one way or another to withdraw your money.

And be sure to pay attention to the availability of support around the clock, there should not be any interruptions, you must be ready to help at any second.

In any case, the choice of the game is always up to the player, only you decide with which casino you want to try your luck, in any case, always try as much as possible to learn the necessary information. And only when the casino really proves to be bona fide, you can always get a lot of pleasure. And remember this is only a game, but it should always bring only positive moments.

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Australia

Australian Gaming Statistics: A Market Overview

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Australia is the largest country in Oceania, with over 26 million inhabitants. Although Sidney is perhaps the most-known city (due to the Opera House building), its capital is Canberra. The country is well-known for its massive biodiversity, including unique marsupials like kangaroo or koala.

Australia has a long term gambling tradition (it’s said that over 80% of the adult population bets in some way), and that combined with a wealth economy has always made the country an exciting market for gambling companies. About 1% of the population suffer from gambling addiction or other gambling-related health issues.

In 2019, the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office released the 35th edition of the “Australian Gambling Statistics,” a handbook that combines gambling stats for all Australian state and territory governments.

This document is a comprehensive guide that covers all forms of gambling in Australia, including pokies, sports betting, casino games, machines, etc. It breaks down the overall industry by game, state, revenue, etc. and it’s a crucial text for anyone interested in the gambling industry.

Australian Gambling Market: A Billionaire Industry

The total gambling expenditure in Australia increased by 5% in the last period up to $24.877 billion; and since 2009, the Aussie gambling industry turnover has grown by almost 30%, from $160,447,673 in the 2009-2010 period:

In the 2017-2018 period (the latest information available) the total gambling turnover was $218,818.729 million as follows:

  • Racing: 11,79%;
  • Gaming (casino, gaming machines, lottery): 82,9%;
  • Sports Betting: 5,3%.

Within the “Gaming” category, a clear leader emerges: Gaming Machines accounts for $149,534.948 million, almost 70% of the total. No wonder why Slots have a local name in Australia: pokies.

The overall gambling industry grew by 4,9%, with drastic reductions of Interactive Gaming (prohibited) and Tab Tote Odds. Sports Betting has an outstanding behavior, with a growth of 14,9% in the last period.

In terms of Government revenue, growth has remained stable at around 5%, with the exception of the 2016-2017 period when the profits didn’t grow as a result of the market behavior. In 2018-2019, Australia secured $6,201,077, thanks to the gambling industry. The per capita government revenue from gambling was $321,98.

Period Total Government Revenue
2009-10 $4.929.606
2010-11 $5.283.089
2011-12 $5.514.351
2012-13 $5.492.321
2013-14 $5.465.684
2014-15 $5.788.956
2015-16 $6.010.016
2016-17 $5.941.977
2017-18 $6.201.077

 

What about Australian online gambling?

Although online (interactive) gaming hasn’t been allowed since 2001, in a country with such a gambling tradition, it is almost impossible to avoid Internet betting, something that has led to the growth of a parallel online industry.

Some online casinos use advanced techniques to protect their customers like Fair Go Safe Login, and there are no scandals related to non-payment of profits.

It’s said that the online casino industry in Australia could boost government revenue by a large share. Still, for now, the laws restrict it mainly due to health issues related to gambling addiction.

Nevertheless, with the current regulation, the overall gambling industry expenditure represents more than $24 billion, and the gambling cost per adult is approximately $1,300. With such data, there are strong reasons to believe that Australia could soon change its laws to take more advantage of these incredible numbers.

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Australia

GTGNetwork.com sign data and games deal with BetEasy

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GTGNetwork.com sign data and games deal with BetEasy

Agreement will see GTG Network.com deploy consumer-facing data platform with leading Australian bookmaker

Data and technology provider GTGnetwork.com (GTG) has signed a deal with BetEasy to deploy GTG’s iSport Genius product and software.

The ‘betting choice’ content-and-insights platform is designed to inform and educate customers about their choice of bet.

iSport Genius’ interactive consumer-facing platform leverages trillions of pieces of data, and via an intuitively designed interface creates a multitude of engaging calls to action and helps improve the overall experience for punters and sports fans alike.

Nathan Rothschild, co-founder and partner at GTGNetwork.com, said: “Our deal with BetEasy is recognition by another tier 1 operator of the value of our data platform and insights to sportsbooks and its customers. We’re delighted to be working closely with one of the leading operators in Australia.”

Martin Tripp, Chief Trading Officer for BetEasy said, “We’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our customers’ wagering experience and look forward to bringing this deal to life.”

Rothschild will be attending ICE 2020 before a trip throughout the US. If anyone wishes to arrange a meeting to see how GTG can enhance their sports offering, they should contact Nathan.

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