The Essay On Internet Gambling In Australia: Regulation And Harm Minimization.

Research essay for club and gaming management

• Compare the competitive performance, management and operation of major forms of gambling and the opportunities and challenges they face ;
• Evaluate the role of key stakeholders in legalised commercial gambling and the socioeconomic impacts of gambling on these stakeholders;
• Explain the legal, administrative and operational responsibilities of clubs and casinos. 

The History and Significance of Gambling

Gambling is one of the favorite past habits of the human beings and the earliest recorded instance of the same dates back to the ancient times (Auer & Griffiths, 2014). Human beings have a knack for gambling and the important mantra of gambling which states “win all or lose everything” is the fact which specifically appeals to the psychology of the human beings (Gainsbury et al., 2015). Furthermore, in the earlier times, it was seen that gambling or betting was related to almost all the walks of life however in the modern-era it is seen that the process of gambling has been narrowed down to the various kinds of sports as well as entertainment. However, it needs  to be noted that even in the 21^st century gambling is considered to be an illegal activity in the majority of the nations and as a matter of fact there are very few nations like the United States of America, Australia, South Africa and others where gambling is allowed albeit in limited proportion (Thomas & Thomas, 2015). In this regard, the nation of Australia is an important since the national government of the nation has allowed the machinery of gambling in its territory because of the high number of people of the nation who like to indulge in the same (Blaszczynski, Gainsbury & Karlov, 2014). However, it is seen that the effective management of the process is increasing becoming a difficult one for the nation and the nation at the same time is trying to come up with ways through which the harm caused by the institution of gambling can be mitigated or reduced in an effective manner (Auer & Griffiths, 2014). Thus, the promotion as well as the effective use of responsible gambling is certainly the right course action for the gambling industry. This essay will discuss about the growth of Internet gambling and its implications for regulation and harm minimization.

An interesting fact to note regarding the nation of Australia is the fact that more than 80% of the people of the nation indulge in one form of gambling or the other (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). As a matter of fact, gambling is seen as one of the most entertaining pastime activities of the people of the nation. Furthermore, the machinery of gambling generates a substantial amount of revenue and according to a statistics the process of gambling generates more than $4.7 billion each year (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). However, at the same time, it is seen that the machinery is causing much harm to the society as well. The most adverse effects of the process of gambling are visible in the spheres of public health, for example, recent research works suggests that the people are addicted to gambling experience a high rate of depression, anxiety and other forms of mental problems (Justice.nt.gov.au, 2018). In addition to this, serious level of indulgence in gambling, can also the physical health of the individuals and in severe cases it is seen that the concerned individual starts to lose his or her appetite and thereby the body degrades (Justice.nt.gov.au, 2018). Moreover, the adverse effects of gambling are even visible in the national economy of the nation as well since it seen that a substantial amount of the national capital goes in various kinds of gambling and betting activities which in turn is not does not nourishes the national economy by means of taxes (Ladouceur et al., 2018). It is pertinent to note that the capital generated by these gambling activities usually goes to enhance the amount of black money held by the people. In this light, it becomes important for the national government to mitigate the evil of gambling and also to device means whereby it can regulate the harm caused by the process. In this regard, the “Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016”, which was an amendment of the “Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 (IGA)” is an important one to note (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018).

Gambling in Australia

The national government does have an important role to play in the process of the promotion of responsible gambling. Furthermore, it can be said that the national government as well as the various clubs and also the casinos are responsible for the job of the promotion and also the practice of responsible gambling in the nation. This will help them to reduce the harmful or the negative aspects of the process of gambling and will at the same time help them to use the process of gambling in a constructive manner. Thus, it can be said that the right course of action for the parties involved in the process would be to promote responsible gambling.

According to article, the adults in the nation of Australia spend more amount of per capita capital on the various gambling activities than in any other nations of the world (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). In addition to this, more than 80% of the people of the nation indulge in gambling activities atleast once a year (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). Furthermore, online gambling is an incredibly popular pastime activity in the nation and it is because of this fact that the nation was once called “The Lucky Country” (BBC.Com, 2018). Moreover, unlike the other nations where gambling is just restricted to the various casinos, in the nation of Australia, the process of gambling is even related to the diverse sports like cricket, football, rugby and others (BBC.Com, 2018). The emergence of the tool of internet has clearly reinvigorated the construct of gambling and as a matter of fact it is seen that more and more people are turning from the casinos and other bookies to the various online platforms subsidized by the national government itself to gratify their need to indulge in gambling activities (Gainsbury et al., 2014). However, at the same time, it needs to be said that Australia was not the first nation to adopt the process of online or internet gambling. As a matter of fact, the first online casino in the world emerged in 1995 in Las Vegas (McQuade & Gill, 2016). The casino attracted more than 30 million gamblers from the different parts of the world and generated more than “$1 billion in profits in 1997 and this reached to a staggering $10.9 billion in 2006” (McQuade & Gill, 2016).

The success gained by this casino and the other ones of the nation of USA encouraged the casino owners of the nation of Australia and even the national government of the nation to use this form of gambling in their nation (Miller et al., 2016). However, once gain just like the traditional forms of gambling this system was also susceptible to various kinds of evils and to curb these evils the nation has to pass diverse kinds of regulations as well as legislations. In this regard, the “Free Trade & Processing Act” (1994), the dictums of the “Kahnawake Gaming Commission” (1996), “Internet Gambling Prohibition Act” (1999), “Interactive Gambling Moratorium Act” (2000), “Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016” and others are important ones to note (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). Furthermore, the effective use of these regulations and legislations has enabled the nation to generate to increase the revenue earned by the online gambling activities from “$45.86 billion in 2016 to $56.05 billion by 2018” (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). This could only have happened because of the initiatives on the part of the national government to note only work in close association with the various gambling organizations but at the same time the initiatives of the national government to minimize the adverse effects of the various forms of gambling, including online gambling.

Internet Gambling: An Overview

The notions of business ethics and social responsibility have emerged as one of the most important in the contemporary society. Furthermore, it is considered to be one of the most important ethics of the organizations and also the industries to indulge in the kind of actions which would add value to the world. The gambling industry is also required to do the same. The industry is not only expected to promote responsible gambling but also to take the help of the processes of ethics as well as the moral for the conduct of their gambling activities (McQuade & Gill, 2016).  In addition to these, the clubs and the casinos are also required to contribute towards the economic growth of the nations in which they are operational since in the earlier times it was seen that these organizations would not pay the required amount of taxes to the national governments. This creates a lot of pressure on the national governments since the capital which is being paid as taxes is used by the national government for the process of national development. Moreover, these institutions are also required to conduct the gambling activities in an ethical manner wherein the equipments used for the process are not fixed or scripted and the gamblers have an equal opportunity of winning (Miller et al., 2016). It is seen that the various equipments used by the casinos are fixed and thus the gamblers are not able to win. This creates not only financial strain on them but also other kinds of mental and physical problems for them. Thus, it can be said that the use of ethics and social responsibility will not only reinvigorate the process of gambling but would also help the clubs and the casinos to contribute in a substantial manner towards the national growth.      

The “Australasian Gaming Council” is imbued with the responsibility of the promotion as well as the effective regulation of the various gambling activities in the nation of Australia in a manner which is not only ethically but morally correct (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). The council through the promotion of responsible gambling has been able to help more than 115,000 from the various parts of the nation to indulge in responsible gambling which has helped them to control their gambling addiction (Abc.net.au, 2018). In addition to this, it is seen that there are various gambling casinos in the different parts of the nation and the council at the same time is responsible for the effective supervision of the management of these casinos so that gambling is conducted in a responsible manner in these casinos (Ladouceur et al., 2017). However, it is seen that the casinos are management on the basis of fierce internal competition and generally the bookies are paid commissions on the basis of the amount of capital that they are being able to bring to the casinos (Gainsbury et al., 2016). This has lead to a creation of a culture within the framework of these casinos wherein the performance of the employees is quantified and decided solely on the basis of numbers.

Regulations and Legislations on Online Gambling in Australia

The casinos follows a very synchronized process for the management of the operations of their operations and it is seen that the various employees are provided diverse kinds of trainings so that they are being able to not only meet the expectations of the customers but also the owners of the casinos (Quilty, Robinson & Blaszczynski, 2015). In addition to this, the individuals are given the kind of job roles to handle on the basis of their expertise so that they are being able to handle the work load in an effective manner. Moreover, these casinos also take the help of surveillance systems and also various kinds of cameras so that the players are not being able to take undue advantage (Rintoul, Deblaquiere & Thomas, 2017). However, at the same time, it is important to note that various kinds of allegations have been brought against these casinos wherein the poker players and other kind of gamblers complain that these casinos use the kind systems wherein the casinos always stand to win. In this regard, the accusation of a whistle-blower wherein he “accused the casinos of misconduct, including providing gamblers with a ‘pick’ to jam poker machine buttons in place. And following another allegation of machine tampering, the VCGLR fined Crown AU$300,000” becomes important to note (Abc.net.au, 2018). Thus, it can be said that the casinos have a long way to go to formulate an effective operation management and the national government needs to play an important role in the same so that it is not only being to minimize the harm caused by the system but also to promote responsible gambling.

The primary stakeholders who are involved in the process of legal commercialized form of gambling are the various addicted gamblers from the low-income backgrounds (Thomas & Thomas, 2015). It is pertinent to note that these gamblers in the earlier times used to end up spending all their earnings on the various forms of gambling without getting any significant returns (Auer & Griffiths, 2014). However, with the legalization of gambling and also the involvement of the national government of the nation their condition has much improved. The secondary stakeholders in the process are the various casino owners, the national government of Australia and others. These stakeholders play an important part in the process since the entire onus of the effective execution of the dictums of the national government lies on them (Thomas & Thomas, 2015). They are not only required to promote responsible gambling but at the same time take the help of the concepts of ethics as well as morals for the same so that they can minimize the harm caused by the diverse forms of gambling. More importantly, they are required to ensure the fact that the process of gambling does not affects the economic as well as the social status of the gamblers in any significant manner (Auer & Griffiths, 2014). In addition to this, they are also imbued with the responsibility of ensuring the fact that the addicted gamblers do not face the adverse mental, emotional and others due to the process of gambling. Lastly, they are also required to help the addicted gamblers from impoverished backgrounds to overcome the addiction of gambling.

The Importance of Business Ethics and Social Responsibility in the Gambling Industry

The casinos and the clubs are required to not only follow the “Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016” but other important legislations of the national government like “Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007”, Authorized Betting Operations Act 2000” and others for the effective management of their operations (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). In addition to these, they are at the same time required to follow the precepts of the “Gaming Machine Act 2005”, “Public Lotteries Act 1996” and others for the ethical use of the machines and other equipments that they use for the process of gambling (Missionaustralia.com.au, 2018). The basic idea behind the formulation of these legislations by the national government of the nation was to promote responsible gambling activities through all the territories of the nation (Gainsbury et al., 2016). Thus, it can be said that the clubs as well as the casinos of the nation have a responsibility to promote responsible gambling. Furthermore, these clubs and casinos are required to follow all the legislations of the national government in order to do so. In addition to this, they are also required to use the various tools of gambling in an ethical as well as moral manner so that the people do not feel ripped off and also they do not feel like the victims of an evil system wherein they cannot win (Miller et al., 2016). This is important since it is likely to help the gamblers to overcome the various health issues that they face which are directly related to the process of gambling. Furthermore, the club and casino owners and also the national government would have to work in close association to promote responsible gambling. Thus, it can be said that along with legal responsibilities, the various clubs and casinos also have operational and management responsibilities the effective execution of which in close association with the national government would help them to promote responsible gambling.

Conclusion

To conclude, gambling since the traditional times is generally considered to a social evil through which the individuals end up wasting a substantial amount of their earnings. However, at the same time, it is seen that gambling is also one of the most favorite pastime of the individuals. For example, in the nations of USA, Australia and others this is a major activity wherein the majority of the population of the nation, end up participating atleast once a year. However, the evils associated with the process cannot be undermined and thus it becomes the responsibility of the national government to not devise ways through which it can mitigate its adverse effects but also promote responsible gambling. This will help them to make the process of gambling a less destructive one and at the same time the people can indulge in it in a responsible and ethical manner.

The Role of the Australasian Gaming Council

References

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