Australian anti-gambling Senator Nick Xenophon is to introduce legislation next month aimed at banning social casino games from Facebook by classifying them as gambling.
Xenophon’s proposed amendment would categorise all such games as “gambling services” if actual money can be lost playing them, including through the purchase of additional credits, meaning gambling-themed apps could then be prohibited under the country’s Interactive Gaming Act 2001 (IGA).
The anti-gambling crusader, elected on an independent No Pokies ticket for South Australia in 2007, said the move followed news that Caesars-owned Slotomania, operated via its Playtika subsidiary, was now Australia’s best-selling app.
Social casinos are currently exempt from Australia’s IGA, which bans the offer of online poker, casino and in-play betting, because credits or winnings cannot be cashed-out.
In a statement, Xenophon accused the government of “sitting on the fence” over “a serious issue here that needs action”. He also quoted the views of “leading expert” Dr Charles Livingstone of Monash University, who branded the games a disgrace, arguing they familiarised young people with electronic gambling, particularly pokies.
Xenophon shared the balance of power in the Australian Senate with the Greens and Family First from 2007 until July 2011, when this passed to the Greens alone, impairing his ability to push through legislation.
The Senator will however be looking to influence opinion and canvas support on the issue on the Senate when the legislation is introduced after the Federal Parliament returns next month.
The lawyer said he had previously raised concerns over the issue in relation to the now IGT-owned DoubleDownCasino with Communications minister Stephen Conroy back in November 2011, but that the government’s subsequent review of the legislation published in its May 2012 report had been “inconclusive”.
Article written by Stephen Carter
