Australia Introduces Sports Betting Integrity Unit

Sports Betting
In Australia, problem gambling has become something of a talking point recently. Its rife, and it’s becoming a bit of social problem.  But in many ways, this stands to reason, as Australia has more gamblers per capita than most other locations in the world. The estimation is that Australians spend to the tune of US$24 billion on gambling and gambling-related services every year. Another shocking estimate is that every Australian adult loses to the tune of $1,000 annually; to gambling.

And these are only figures that are officially reported. In addition to the booming legal gambling market, there is also a thriving underground industry; one that’s illegal and not regulated at all. And this is the one that we should actually be worried about, because here, players enjoy little to no protection.

The Solutions

The national regulator is concerned about the situation in the country, and has implemented strict policies in order to try and curb illegal gambling. One of the more effective measures has been the implementation of limit-caps on credit card payments to gambling institutions. But reckless spending on online casino games isn’t the most pressing problem that Australia has had to deal with; an increasingly more offbeat sports betting market is an even bigger problem.

Because this involves not only an at-times reckless spend on bets placed on sporting events, but also an even bigger worm in the wood-work. You guessed it: match-fixing.

New Integrity Watchdog

The Australian government has never been one to sit back and look on as its people run amok, and the country’s sports industry is something of a national heritage. In order to protect the integrity of its heritage, government has announced that a special Integrity Unit is in the process of being established. The newly created national watchdog will exclusively keep a close eye on sports betting in the country.

The unit is expected to be fully functional by July 2020, and potential candidates to head up the organisation have already been identified. These include the CEO of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) and also the current racing integrity commissioner at Victoria.

The integrity unit will be working closely with all national sports bodies, the police, both on local as well as federal levels, and the Department of Home Affairs.

Sources:

https://www.vegasslotsonline.com/news/