Labor digging deep to meet gambling register rollout
Noah Secomb |
An online register to give people the choice to avoid gambling advertising could be operational within a year.
Communications Minister Anika Wells is confident the Australian Communications and Media Authority will be able to roll out the so-called AdStop register within 12 months.
“We have built similar things before,” she told reporters in Canberra on Thursday, noting the media watchdog had to build BetStop, a self-exclusion register for gamblers, in recent years.
“It’s automated … it won’t be on the user. This technology exists. We’ve built it, and yeah, it took a while to build it, but we know how to do it now.”
The five-year lead up to rolling out the BetStop self-exclusion register won’t be repeated, Ms Wells said.
Labor’s gambling reform to ban ads on sports jerseys and stadiums, limit broadcast content and introduce an opt-out register passed the parliament late on Wednesday night.
It is now illegal for gambling companies to offer inducements to problem gamblers during the first three months on the self-exclusion register.
The peak body for betting agencies has criticised the bill for over-complicating the sector and driving punters to unregulated offshore gambling companies.
Responsible Wagering Australia chief executive Kai Cantwell said the measures will significantly limit the ability to advertise gambling to adults.
But the communications minister has welcomed the possibility of all gambling ads being removed from the internet as a result.
“What a great outcome that would be,” Ms Wells said.
“The number one way you can make sure that you comply with the law … is to not show gambling ads.
“And if you want to show gambling ads, then you’re going to have to jump through these hoops.”
Mr Cantwell warned the illegal offshore wagering market operates outside the reach of any opt-out or ad-stop mechanism.
Independent senator David Pocock dismissed the legislation for falling tragically short of the recommendations from a Labor-led inquiry.
“Nothing happened for three years. They were finally sort of forced into doing something, and they’ve done the absolute bare minimum,” Senator Pocock told News24.
“We failed on inducements, and we failed on a national regulator.”
AAP