The NSW government has announced plans to amend two key gambling regulations later this year with a view to improving protections for players.
NSW state regulator, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA), said Monday that a review is currently underway on the Betting and Racing Regulation and the Totalizator Regulation, which cover gambling harm minimization measures such as counselling services, penalty notice prescriptions, allowable TAB shareholdings and special exemptions. New versions are now available for industry and community comment until 22 June 2022, with final legislation to be put into practice in September.
The draft regulations propose additional penalty notice offences for betting providers, such as sportsbooks, in order to provide an alternative to court prosecution; prohibitions on inducement offers of free entry into a competition conditional on having a betting account and on “special odds” offers; fee collection adjusted annually for inflation; a requirement for sports controlling bodies to notify the Minister of changes in circumstances; and enabling the Secretary to change the wording of mandatory counselling and gambling help notices as the evidence base evolves, without having to change legislation.
CEO of Hospitality and Racing, Anthony Keon, said the statutory review was designed to ensure laws and regulations stay up to date with changing industry and community expectations.
“A large proportion of the community derive great pleasure from wagering and enjoy placing a bet without it becoming a problem,” he said.
“The protections in the regulations not only create sustainability for the industry, but certainty for the community that licensees are fit to conduct gambling, that penalties are fair and proportionate and that there is communication and engagement with people who do experience gambling harms.
“Essentially, the regulations support the legislation and are there to set the standards around the conduct of betting service providers so punters can freely pursue wagering as a safe form of leisure and entertainment.
“With this consultation, we are looking to capture the interests of all stakeholders to ensure a thriving wagering industry can also operate in the community’s interests.”
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