NSW minister decries delay in online bet reforms

NSW Gaming Minister Kevin Anderson has accused the federal government of undermining its commitment to reforming online gambling

Kevin Anderson has accused the federal government of undermining its commitment to reforming online gambling protections.

NSW Gaming Minister Kevin Anderson has accused the federal government of undermining its commitment to reforming online gambling protections following a blanket decision to delay the scheme’s nationwide compliance mandate earlier this month.

Mr Anderson, who wrote to his federal counterpart, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, on Thursday, told The Australian it was unacceptable the Albanese government had allowed other jurisdictions to defer implementation of the National Consumer Protection Framework for online wagering, while NSW had kept to the initial deadline.

The nationwide scheme, devised by the coalition government in 2018 and agreed to by all states and territories, includes a national self-exclusion register that orders all online betting ­operators to issue monthly activity statements to anyone who has laid a bet.

Under the framework, the statement will show how much money the account holder has spent, won and lost over the previous six months, as well as an itemised transaction list.

While betting operators were expected to begin compliance with the new framework on July 31, The Australian understands several members of the scheme’s governance committee sought to delay the implementation, pushing back the compliance deadline to mid-November.

“NSW is playing its part by introducing harm minimisation reforms with significant funding, so it’s extremely disappointing that the federal government appears to have shown disregard for the protection of those who need support,” Mr Anderson said.

It’s understood NSW representatives inside the governance committee opposed the blanket delay, with betting giant Tabcorp already granted a three-month extension alongside all book­makers based in the Northern Territory.

In his letter to Ms Rishworth, Mr Anderson said blanket delays and exemptions risked undermining the framework and questioned the government’s commit­ment to the scheme.

“I am advised that the Northern Territory Racing Com­mission has granted a blanket extension to all of its licensees until 14 November, without ­consideration for other states and territories,” Mr Anderson wrote.

“I am concerned about this development, particularly given previous agreements made between the jurisdictions to implement this reform.

“Reducing the impact of problem gambling is extremely important and it’s unacceptable that the federal government has ­allowed other states to defer.”

Gambling reform advocates have been pushing for a national consumer protection framework for more than five years, but have grown frustrated with delays to the introduction of activity statements and the national self-­exclusion register, which had been due in 2020.