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Ministerial Council on Gambling - Communique Brisbane
10/07/2009
The Ministerial Council on Gambling met in Brisbane today to progress a national work program to address problem gambling.
Since the last Ministerial Council on Gambling meeting held in July 2008, Commonwealth, State and Territory officials have been developing national actions around three key priority areas to reduce harm from gambling.
- Helping individuals set limits, including access to cash and pre-commitment technologies
- Gaming machine standards for better consumer protection and
- Responsible gambling environments.
Over the past 12 months all jurisdictions have cooperated to develop a suite of measures for Ministers' consideration. Ministers welcomed the three working group reports and thanked all jurisdictions for the cooperation and goodwill shown over the past 12 months in further developing national solutions to problem gambling.
Ministers noted that the National Gambling Helpline 1800 number agreed at the meeting in July 2008 was up and running and by March 2009 more than 4,500 callers had contacted the Helpline.
Forward work program
Ministers agreed to a new work-plan to address problem gambling, to be implemented over the next three years, which will include:
- Development of a national policy standard for pre-commitment
Ministers agreed that all jurisdictions would work together to develop a national policy standard to which all future pre-commitment systems would conform. This will enable consistency in pre-commitment technology to be used across Australia.
Pre-commitment technologies allow people to determine the amount of money they want to spend prior to gambling. This can empower individuals to take control over their own spending behaviour, especially in relation to gaming machines.
Ministers acknowledged the work already underway to trial pre-commitment technologies in Queensland and South Australia and recent legislation in Victoria to stage the introduction of a pre-commitment regime. The Commonwealth has agreed to fund the evaluation of trials in South Australia. The outcome of both trials will further shape the development of the national policy standard.
National regulatory and legal framework to prohibit provision of commercial credit for gambling by third parties (such as pay day lenders) in gaming venues.
Ministers agreed to develop a national regulatory and legal framework to ban the provision and advertising of commercial credit for gambling by third parties (such as pay day lenders) in gaming venues and online wagering services.
Ministers expressed concern at the potential for harm created by unregulated credit providers operating and advertising in gaming venues. Although pawn brokers and payday lenders can play a role in the broader economy, unregulated provision of this type of credit in gambling venues can involve low-level money laundering and take advantage of the communities most vulnerable, especially problem gamblers. Ministers agreed to develop regulations that would limit the operation of these types of credit services in gaming venues.
- A nationwide daily withdrawal limit on ATMs in gaming venues
Ministers agreed that following consideration of research underway a nationally consistent limit on the amount a patron can withdraw from an ATM within a pub and club in a 24 hour period should be considered.
Ministers also agreed that in the development of a nationally consistent approach the needs of rural and remote communities, communities with poor ATM access and tourism destinations are taken into consideration.
Ministers agreed that the access to cash working group be extended and will report back to Ministers at the next meeting.
Ministers noted that several jurisdictions have already legislated limits on, and the removal of, ATMs from gaming venues.
- Restrictions on advertising of free bets
Ministers agreed to restrict advertising of free bets by online wagering operators. This follows similar action in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia to place limits on free bets by restricting advertising or banning the practice of offering enticements.
Ministers expressed concern at the proliferation of advertising for free bets to entice new customers.
- Cashing cheques
Ministers agreed to investigate a national approach to the placing of limits around the ways in which cheques could be cashed in venues.
- National Electronic Gaming Machine Consumer Protection Principles
All jurisdictions agreed to work together over the next year to develop a National Statement of Electronic Gaming Machine Principles to provide greater protection for consumers on next generation gaming machines.
The National Statement will be guided by research on the most effective way to provide players with information messages. This will also include an assessment of whether high-valued linked jackpots contribute to problem gambling and the benefits of note acceptor limits.
Ministers also highlighted the changing nature of electronic gaming machine technology and the need for consumer protection principles to address the challenges, and draw on the opportunities, of new server based technology.
- National principles for the conduct of responsible gaming machine environments
Ministers gave support to a comprehensive list of principles to be used as guidance by venues with electronic gaming machines (attached). Jurisdictions will report to the next Ministerial Council meeting on progress in implementing the principles.
All jurisdictions agreed that these principles should underpin the regulatory and policy frameworks for the conduct of responsible gaming machine activity in clubs and hotels across Australia. It was noted that some of these measures may be implemented through responsible service of alcohol or other health-related avenues.
- National 'at-risk of problem gambling screening tool' to help identify problem gamblers
Ministers agreed to develop a national screening tool to help gamblers and service providers identify risky gambling behaviour before it becomes too entrenched. This will also help people get the specialised counselling services they need.
This screening tool would contain questions to help individuals self assess. Doctors, financial counsellors and other support services would also be able to identify if a person is at risk of becoming a problem gambler.
Despite considerable measures in the past decade, problem gambling remains a severe and destructive addiction for some individuals. Research indicates that some individuals are more at risk than others of developing problems with gambling.
- Better coordination between front-line Commonwealth funded support services and state based gambling support services
All Ministers agreed to work together to provide better linkages between front-line Commonwealth and state based gambling support services to better support problem gamblers.
While the Commonwealth Government is not responsible for regulating gambling and does not directly fund any treatment services for problem gamblers, it does fund services which problem gamblers access, including Emergency Relief, Supported Accommodation Assistance Program and Commonwealth Financial Counselling as well as income support payments.
Interactive and online gambling
Ministers released a new report which provides a review of the current interactive gambling environment in Australia, A review of current and future trends in interactive gambling activity and regulation[1].
Ministers agreed that addressing problem gambling in interactive and online settings should be an integral part of the forward work-plan to address problem gambling in the community and noted work was already underway in jurisdictions.
Ministers agreed that it was appropriate to examine how existing strategies used to address problem gambling in other areas of the community could be applied to interactive and online environments.
Ministers agreed to look at the following areas in the context of interactive gambling by the next meeting:
- How harm minimisation strategies can successfully be implemented in interactive and online environments, including access to cash and self exclusion
- Display of appropriate counselling and support services
- Ensuring responsible gambling information is available to all customers
- Offering of voluntary pre-commitment systems
- Access to player information
- Making financial statements available on request
- Restrictions on advertising incentives such as free bets and
- Display of real-time clocks on screen
Ministers also agreed to undertake further work on interactive gambling by the next meeting, including addressing research gaps identified in the report.
The report highlights that although only a small proportion of Australians currently use interactive gambling, rapid advances in technology including increased access to broadband, digital and pay TV and multi-platform 3G mobile phones have the potential to alter the shape of gambling in Australia.
Productivity Commission Inquiry
Ministers were briefed by the Productivity Commission on the progress of their inquiry into Australia's Gambling Industries. The Productivity Commission is due to release a draft report in November and a final report in February next year.
National principles for the conduct of responsible gaming machine activity in clubs and hotels
The following principles should underpin the regulatory and policy frameworks for the conduct of responsible gaming machine activity in clubs and hotels across Australia.
- Access to gambling needs to be restricted where there is heightened risk of loss of control.
- Minors should not be allowed to gamble or be exposed to gambling areas within venues.
- Adults who are intoxicated by either alcohol or drugs should not be permitted to gamble.
- Information and support should be provided to patrons seeking help and those that have been identified by staff as potentially having a problem with gambling.
- Venues should act promptly to assist persons to self-exclude if requested.
- Venues should display problem gambling help information in the gambling area and venue more broadly.
- Venues have a responsibility to train their staff in problem gambling issues.
- Specifically trained contact officers should be available in venues to provide referral information or assist with undertaking exclusion.
- Venues should monitor suspected problem gamblers and take reasonable steps to offer them assistance.
- Venues should not knowingly allow problem gamblers to gamble in their venues.
- Breaks in play should be encouraged.
- Gambling areas should be smoke free.
- Alcohol should not be served to patrons while they are at a gaming machine.
- There should be daily shut down periods within each venue of at least three hours.
- "Reality checks" for gamblers should be incorporated into the venue such as wall clocks or clocks on individual machines and adequate lighting that enables consumer information/signage to be read easily.
Consumer information about gaming machines and how they work should be displayed or made readily available within the venue.
Advertising, promotions and inducements by venues should be controlled such as in relation to content, placement and conduct.
[1] The report is available on the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs website (www.fahcsia.gov.au)