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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 3 Hansard (28 May) . . Page.. 689 ..
MS CARNELL (continuing):
Mr Speaker, in summary, the Bill will: Provide a regulatory framework for the conduct of interactive gambling; provide a licensing regime to approve providers of interactive gambling activities, thus creating an appropriate environment in which Australian providers can offer their services; allow for ACT recognition of licensed providers from other jurisdictions and vice versa; provide a regime for the protection of people who participate in interactive gambling and the community generally; and allow for taxes to be levied on licensed providers.
State, national and international boundaries do not apply to interactive programs. Therefore, it is important that ACT residents be aware of the status of games offered by providers in other jurisdictions. To this end, a national regulatory framework is being developed which will identify to players those jurisdictions that offer similar levels of player protection to those found in ACT-approved games. The ACT's Interactive Gambling Bill has been based to a large extent on Queensland legislation as it provides sound protection for players. A number of modifications have been made to the Queensland model to ensure that it meets our requirements and conforms with our legislative standards. In particular, this Bill contains more stringent obligations for service providers to ensure that minors cannot be registered to participate in interactive games.
Despite the development of new technologies which have facilitated these forms of gambling, it should be remembered that gambling in the home is not a new concept. ACT residents have had access to phone betting through ACTTAB for many years, and it is the preferred form of wagering of many punters. This Bill will not attempt to regulate activities already in existence, such as phone betting through ACTTAB, which are already effectively regulated. It is also important to note that the Bill is not intended to expand the range of gambling products available through commercial venues, such as the Canberra Casino, clubs, hotels and taverns.
Mr Speaker, the Bill includes a number of player protection provisions to ensure that those who participate in interactive gambling can do so confidently. Specifically, the legislation includes provisions which will prohibit access by minors, by ensuring that adequate proof of age has been supplied to a licensed operator prior to allowing a player to register.
Mr Speaker, some of the potential revenue from interactive gambling has been earmarked for a community education program, to warn players that they must safeguard their player access codes to ensure that any children in the house cannot access them. This step has been taken in recognition of the increasing level of computer literacy in today's youth, to highlight the need to ensure that curious children are not given an opportunity to illegally play interactive games using their parents' or carers' codes. Service providers will be required to display similar warnings on their websites.
The Bill will enable a player to set limits on the amount of individual and cumulative bets. Such limits may apply to a bet on a particular game or state a maximum amount that can be wagered by a player over a period of time. In line with all other gambling legislation in the ACT, credit betting will be prohibited. Licensed providers will be required to ensure that players have sufficient funds in their accounts prior to playing an interactive game.
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