Footballers finding sports betting hard to resist

June 2019: News media around Australia were quick to point out the paradox in the AFL’s suspension of Collingwood player Jaidyn Stephenson on June 19 for match betting. Citing findings from the AGRC’s Weighing Up the Odds report, Tasmania’s Examiner editorialised: ‘[The AFL] encourage gambling and then are surprised when one of their players is sucked into the vacuum’.

New rules to protect young people and vulnerable gamblers

26 Feb 2019: New national rules to protect young people and vulnerable gamblers were announced by Minister for Families and Social Services, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP.

Online wagering companies must now take 14 days or fewer to verify whether new online wagering consumers are eligible, when previously it was 90 days. This will reduce the risk of underage or self-excluded participants gambling online.

The measures are delivered under the National Consumer Protection Framework for online wagering, announced late last year. As part of the rollout, AGRC was commissioned by the Department of Social Services to execute the baseline study for a larger four-phase evaluation of the framework.