Anti-gambling advocates push for federal regulation as Indigenous gambling concerns mount
Critics argue state governments are unable to deal with the harm caused by gambling because they are reliant on the tax revenue it produces.
Anti-gambling campaigners have accused state and territory governments of allowing Indigenous communities to be saturated with poker machines to produce tax revenue as the Albanese government rebuffs ongoing pressure for a federal regulator to police the activity.
As new data showed the Northern Territory is more reliant on gaming taxes than other state and territory governments, the Alliance for Gambling Reform has warned significant harm is being caused by poker machines in Indigenous communities.
Earlier this month Anthony Albanese announced new limits on gambling advertising during sporting broadcasts in response to the You Win Some, You Lose More report by a parliamentary committee led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
The prime minister dismissed another of the committee’s recommendations — the creation of a federal gaming regulator — which Indigenous groups had sought to bring greater control to the sector.
