Northern Territory bill would ban betting bonuses and VIP schemes
A bill from independent MLA Justine Davis would outlaw inducements and VIP programmes for Northern Territory bookmakers and sharply raise penalties for breaches.
A bill targeting inducements and VIP programmes offered by Australia's largest online bookmakers is due for its first reading in the Northern Territory parliament next week, SBC News reports.
The legislation, introduced by independent Member of the Legislative Assembly Justine Davis, would ban bonus offers and VIP schemes outright. It would also impose monthly deposit limits of AU$500 for bettors aged 18 to 21 and AU$1,000 for those aged 21 to 24.
The Northern Territory licenses around 50 online bookmakers, including bet365, Sportsbet and Ladbrokes, three of the four largest brands operating in Australia according to rankings from Blask.
Under the bill, the maximum penalty for non-compliance would rise from the current ceiling of $194,000 to $10m, or alternatively 10% of an operator's annual revenue, whichever is greater.
The proposal follows a separate package of federal reforms introduced by the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in August, which brought in a whistle-to-whistle advertising ban and new restrictions on sports sponsorship deals.
Critics have said those federal measures do not go far enough to match the recommendations of the 2023 Murphy report, produced by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which called for a total ban on gambling advertising and the creation of a dedicated national regulator.
Davis has aligned her bill with that criticism. Speaking to ABC News Australia, she said: "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.'"
She added that the measures were not designed to eliminate gambling itself. "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," she said.
The bill has already attracted backing from 33 advocacy groups and individual leaders, who co-signed an open letter urging the Northern Territory government to support Davis's proposal.
ABC News has also reported that Shadow Racing Minister Chansey Paech has told Davis that Labor will back the bill, suggesting the measure may have cross-party support once it reaches parliament.
The bill is scheduled to be introduced in the Northern Territory parliament on Wednesday, 21 October.