South Australia Has Begun To Restrict the Type of Advertising That Online Casinos Can Use

Added: July 31, 2013

The Independent Gambling Authority of Southern Australia is making some changes to how online casino sites can advertising their services to local people. However, the situation is a little confusing. Southern Australia makes its own laws on online gambling, and the Independent Gambling Authority is responsible for this. This means that quite often, gambling law differs from state to state.

Also, the Federal Government of Australia is responsible for regulating broadcasters within the country. So what is going to happen is this: The Independent Gambling Authority of Southern Australia is going to restrict the online casino operators themselves, from advertising online gambling. But no onus will be placed on broadcasters by the Independent Gambling Authority to enforce this new gambling law. Sounds pretty strange right? The Independent Gambling Authority is basically saying to broadcasters, do whatever you want, it’s the Federal Government you answer to, and then telling online gambling companies they cannot advertise their online casino sites with the state. A very odd way of enforcing this new gambling law.

The broadcasters themselves will be required to run anti-gambling propaganda though, in the form information messages that try and educated people about the risks of online gambling. This must really be upsetting those online casino sites that are licensed by the Independent Gambling Authority to operate in Southern Australia.

The Director of the Independent Gambling Authority, Robert Chappell, has stated that, “The commercial gambling providers have really been dreadful in their compliance with the mandatory warning message requirements. Rather than have fights with them about what it means, there's going to be page after page in this new code about how you need to use mandatory warning messages. If there'd been some moderate compliance by some of the bigger operators, where they'd shown some commitment to balancing the power of their advertising, then there wouldn't have been an argument for the Authority to be so prescriptive."

In truth this just sounds like the Independent Gambling Authority was upset by the fact that many online casino operators and online gambling companies have only been paying lip service to the gambling laws in Southern Australia. Seriously, what is the point of cutting out TV adverting, when most people encounter advertising promoting online casino play whilst online? It just seems a very stupid, badly thought out idea, and one that should be reviews.