Senator David Pocock Critical of Gambling Inducements, Calls out Insufficient Measures

Senator David Pocock, an independent politician from the Australian Capital Territory, has once again raised concerns over the proliferation of gambling inducements, calling out local companies who have, in his opinion, benefited from political inaction to reduce the number of such ads.

Senator Lambasts Government for Being Too Tardy with Implementing Ad Restrictions

Senator Pocock has criticized how common and prevalent such ads are, and he cited research that proved that inducements have been linked to normalizing gambling as a risk-free activity among children and young people.

He took issue with the government’s tardiness in implementing the 31 recommendations put forward by the Murphy Review, which lawmakers have been slow to act on.

The Guardian, which did the original reporting, also cited Martin Thomas, the CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, who, similarly to Senator Pocock, was critical of the delay in implementing tougher measures on gambling inducements.

“Australia’s infamous title as the biggest gambling losers in the world will only get worse without action, as reflected in these latest moves by Tabcorp,” Thomas told the publication, urging the government not to waste any more time and adopt the 31 recommendations as outlined by the review.

According to Deakin University professor of public health, Samantha Thomas, gambling ads create the illusion that they offer consumers something back, but in reality, they are focused on incentivizing players to spend – i.e., give something to the platforms instead.

Regulator Needs to Act Right Now

Another issue, argues Thomas, is that these ads often argue that there is little risk attached to the activity, when this should be their central message.

“The lack of significant regulator action on inducements only benefits the gambling industry and their ability to extract more and more money from the community,” she believes.

Regulators, in the meantime, are preparing to address the issue in the coming weeks, but skeptics worry that by procrastinating, gambling companies are making use of the lull and increasing their inducements.