Northern Territory bill seeks full ban on inducements and VIP schemes

Stricter rules around problem gambling affecting some of the largest bookmakers in Australia will undergo first reading next week.

Introduced by independent Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Justine Davis, the bill seeks to impose a ban on player incentives such as bonus and VIP schemes, as well as introduce monthly deposit limits on players aged 18 to 21 (AU$500), and 21 to 24 (AU$1,000).

The provision will be introduced in the Northern Territory, where 50 online bookmakers are currently licensed, such as bet365, SportsBet and Ladbrokes – three of the top four biggest brands in Australia as ranked by Blask.

Disciplinary penalties for non-compliance will go up from the current ceiling of $194,000 to $10m, or an alternative maximum of 10% of an operator’s annual revenue.

Australia’s Labor government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced a number of separate, wide-sweeping federal reforms earlier in August, which saw stricter marketing rules such as a whistle-to-whistle ad ban and sports sponsorship restrictions being rolled out.

However, critics have argued that the reform package falls short of bringing any meaningful changes in line with the 2023 Murphy report, courtesy of late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which called for the complete ban of gambling adverts and the creation of a new regulator, among others.

Davis has now also joined the scrutiny, adding for ABC News Australia: “We now are in a real position where we can actually show some leadership in the Northern Territory and say, ‘Here’s some simple changes that we can make.’

“The changes are not going to stop gambling, but they are going to prevent harm being done to people, both here in the Territory and across Australia.”

Davis has already seen support for her bill by 33 advocacy groups and leaders, co-signers of an open letter urging the Northern Territory government to back her proposal.

The independent MLA has also reportedly been told by Shadow Racing Minister Chansey Paech that Labor will support the bill, according to ABC News.

The bill is set to be introduced in Parliament next Wednesday, 21 October.