Lots of countries have embraced gambling in recent years, and more are still looking forward to legalizing it. Some centuries ago, only a few countries welcomed it, although with strict rules and regulations from the appropriate agencies. However, from the 19th century, so many countries have seen the bright sides of casinos and have been legalizing them. Websites that offer a nice casino cashback also include some brief history about gambling.
Australia was one of the countries that legalized gambling in the 19th century. The most primitive form of gambling in the country then was horse racing. Later on, betting was permitted at specific places with licensed rights. Gambling is now prevalent in Australia because it is seen as a form of marketing. Most hotels, casinos, and betting arenas generate revenue from gambling, and it contributes to the economy.
However, Australia has been experiencing some epic fails which are affecting the gambling sector to date. For example, Crown Resorts, Australia's largest casino operator, is under serious investigation because they have been linked to some sorts of crime like money laundering, cybercrime, etc. The case of Crown Resorts opened many people’s eyes to some hidden failures in the gambling sector of Australia. This article will highlight some of the failures. Some of them are described in this article:
- A performance of gambling regulators;
- Irresponsible gaming;
- No political stance;
- An increased negative addiction.
Do you want to know them? Read on!
The Woeful Performance of Gambling Regulators
The crime that is currently investigated in Australia is due to mishandling by the gambling regulators. They had failed to notice issues like money laundering when they were still happening low-key. Since the issue has been on the rise, the gambling regulating body has been under total scrutiny. In 2017, the Auditor General of a gambling commission highlighted the need for regulators to improve their check on casinos.
In that same year, Crown Casino in Melbourne lost some billion dollars, with the tax revenue in it being up to $200 million. The Crown casino in Perth also lost some money, which affected the revenue the government was getting from the casino resorts. The money lost was going somewhere not open to the regulating body at the time. The contribution Crown makes to the country is relatively smaller than other clubs in suburban areas.
Some underground work has been going in Crown, and it seems they are getting an illegal free pass from the regulating bodies. The accumulation makes it obvious now that there has been some form of money laundering in the past years.
Irresponsible Gambling
There have been many stories about criminal actions in casino operations surfacing online, and the current rate is alarming. The failure to ensure responsible gambling is one of the numerous faults of the gambling regulators. What is more depressing is the consistent breach of the gambling principles and carelessness of the legal bodies in charge in Australia.
Whistleblowers caught Australia's largest pokie operator receiving information from certain people to encourage illegal gambling. As a result, apart from the free pokies games online, some punters are sponsoring fraud, affecting the revenue generated.
They collect this information and even bribe the patrons with free drinks and other utilities. Some time ago, another club was caught advancing some amounts of money to punters for illegal deals. After the whistleblowers confirmed the apprehension of the pokie operators, the Crown casinos were fined.
Even after that, the whistleblowers still confirmed that Crowns were sponsoring punters to do illegal gambling, which is very irresponsible on the sides of the organizers and the punters. Gambling regulators are supposed to avoid situations like these and protect the vulnerable ones, but they have failed obviously. Innocent gamblers are exploited every day even after they have paid their necessary tax dues.
No Political Stance
Apart from the fault accounted to the gambling regulators, the politicians indirectly contribute to these failures affecting Australia's gambling economy and revenue generation. The regulating bodies might be ignorant of their incompetence, but the politicians also show a sense of apathy in preventing the alarming crime rate. The agreement between casino operators and government officials shows how uninterested they are in what is going on.
Donations made by political bodies are a part of what fuels the high rate of money laundering, which results from illegal gambling. The gambling industry recruits some specific high-profiled citizens as government relation experts, but in the real sense, they act as lobbyists. So much can be done to increase the strictness of gambling regulations. One of them is to provide enough visual surveillance to monitor criminal activities and operations.
Increased tax rates can fund the necessary surveillance that the gambling regulators need. All they need to do is order an increase in the tax rate for every casino resort and gambling center. Then, the funds can be used to curb money laundering and other crimes committed by punters and gambling bodies. Also, the right penalties should be set for people that flaunt rules because they repeat crimes when they know they will get away with it.
An Increased Negative Addiction
Addiction is one negative effect of gambling, and it is a rampant one in Australia. There are cases of people addicted to narcotics, stimulants, depressants, etc., because they want to stimulate some part of their body system while gambling. The stigma that comes with addiction is not one anybody will like to be identified with. So, there's this perceived irresponsibility attached to addictive gamblers, and it makes them stigmatized in public.
The public health sectors have not taken their time to look into this issue, and it's getting on the high side daily. There should be enlightening programs where the psychological and physiological effects of addictive gambling can be adequately addressed. When you sensitize people about the word “addiction,” what it truly means, and the effects on humans, it helps them reflect on things they have gotten so much attached to that they can't do without.
When addiction is scraped from affected people, it will reduce the failures in the gambling economy to a significant extent.
Fraud and crime in Australia's gambling have been around for a while, and it will continually affect the economy if not properly dealt with. So, first of all, the gambling regulators should tighten their seat belts and get to the action. Proper scrutiny will reduce the level of crime committed by punters. Also, the right regulating body should keep an eye electronically in different gambling centers to warn people of whatever moves they want to make.
Legal institutions should also look into the extortion of money from innocent, vulnerable gamblers. The money they get from this is used to fund crime. Concerning public health, necessary measures should be taken regarding alcohol and hard-drugs intake. It will reduce automobile injuries and also promote responsibility among punters.