Impact of illegal offshore wagering
This consultation has now closed.
On 7 September 2015, the former Minister for Social Services, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, announced a review of illegal offshore wagering to investigate methods to strengthen enforcement of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Cth) and ensure Australians are protected from illegal offshore wagering operators.
The Review, led by the Hon Barry O’Farrell, will examine the economic impacts and profile of the illegal offshore wagering industry, international regulatory regimes that may work in the Australian context, and technological and legislative options to mitigate the costs of illegal offshore wagering. It will also investigate the effectiveness of existing consumer protection mechanisms, including but not limited to warnings, information resources, public information campaigns and other measures, regulatory or otherwise. It will seek to make recommendations that could mitigate the risk of negative social impacts on consumers.
The Review involved consultation with industry stakeholders and community support services, state and territory governments, and Commonwealth agencies. The Department of Social Services sought written submissions from interested parties addressing the Terms of Reference.
The Review examined four key areas:
- the economic impacts of illegal offshore wagering and associated financial transactions on legitimate Australian wagering businesses, including size of the illegal industry, growth, organisation and interrelationships with other criminal industries and networks;
- international regulatory regimes or other measures that could work in the Australian context;
- what other technological and legislative options are available to mitigate the costs of illegal offshore wagering; and
- the efficacy of approaches to protect the consumer – including warnings, information resources, public information campaigns and any other measures, regulatory or otherwise, that could mitigate the risk of negative social impacts on consumers.