AUSSIE RULES ON GAMBLING ARE WORTH A FLUTTER HERE
MUCH of the Premier League hype is generated by gambling firms. These companies are on TV, radio and online, and in newspapers, encouraging people to bet on the outcome of the title race, the final league position of teams, who’ll qualify for Europe, be relegated, the leading goalscorers, team with the most players booked and the number of times players celebrate goals by dropping their shorts.
I exaggerate on the final point – even though Paddy Power once paid Denmark’s Niklas Bendtner to do that at the Euros, pictured – but long gone is the time gamblers went to a bookie before a game, placed a bet, then anxiously awaited the match’s outcome… or, if they were daring, did combinations of doubles and trebles in an attempt to maximise the returns. Instead, and most insidiously, all sorts of ‘in-play’ bets are available as a game progresses, because of enormous growth of online betting. This means eyes are glued to phones – changing odds and new betting opportunities – as much as they are on the match. Paddy Power has closed some physical shops, such has been the move to mobile. So here’s a good idea from Australia that we could consider introducing and using in Ireland.
Australia has decided that every holder of an online betting account in the country has to receive a monthly statement detailing exactly how much money they have won… or more likely lost.
Australians lose an average of AUS$1,276 a year on online betting – estimated to be more than in any other country. Official research determined that about 11% of Australians placed a bet online in the first half of 2021 – about 2.6million people. It’s thought Australians bet about $1.4billion each year, online. Therefore it’s no surprise to learn the online sector is the fastest growing betting platform, expanding at three times the rate of other avenues. So the solution will be monthly statements showing the total amount a customer wagered that month, how much they won, how much they lost, the number of bets placed, and a graph tracking their gambling activity over six months. The email will link to an exact transaction list and responsible gambling resources.
Australian government research found that these statements led gamblers to spend much less.
Other measures introduced in the new Australian framework include a national self-exclusion register, responsible gambling training for staff, and the requirement to have deposit limit options as part of the online account sign-up process.
That’s all something from which our Government could learn. And a regulator when finally we get one.