Responsible Wagering Australia promotes NSW GambleAware Week

At the start of the NSW GambleAware Week 2024, the independent peak body for Australian-licensed wagering service providers, Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), announced its support for this year's event.

The organization confirmed that the support reinforces its dedication to encouraging responsible gambling.

The campaign will help people better control their gambling

Throughout the NSW GambleAware Week 2024, which kicked off on October 21, a range of resources will promote safer gambling options.

The event will run through October 27, raising awareness of the risks of gambling and the importance of the use of responsible gambling tools.

The annual event's theme this year is "Safer gambling. Are you on board?", and it will emphasize practical approaches that can help individuals maintain control over their gambling activities.

At the same time, the campaign's efforts this year will seek to effectively prevent gambling harm.

The black market is the biggest threat to Australia's legal gambling sector

Kai Cantwell, RWA's CEO, commented on the topic in a statement, highlighting the importance of raising awareness of responsible gambling and addressing different challenges the vertical is facing.

Importantly, the executive outlined that the black market represents the biggest threat to the Australian licensed gambling industry.

According to Cantwell, the black market represents 15% of the total market but its share constantly grows.

The executive added: "Unlike licensed Australian operators, illegal offshore providers disregard Australian laws, avoid paying taxes, and fail to protect customers."

The RWA's CEO highlighted the importance of implementing robust changes to the country's regulations that protect the customers while at the same time standing out with a balanced approach.

Cantwell warned that evidence from markets such as Italy, Sweden and Denmark, among others, shows that "overregulating the legal market will leave a void for illegal operators, who will exploit vulnerable Australians and target children with predatory ads."

The dangers of the black market go beyond the harm and missing tax revenue, putting at risk Australia's racing and sports sectors that may be impacted by match-fixing or other manipulation attempts, Cantwell added.

RWA's boss encouraged lawmakers to find the balance when introducing reforms to the gambling sector that would effectively combat harm without over-regulation of the industry.

Responsible gaming tools play a key role in the fight against excessive gambling

Cantwell also discussed the importance of responsible gambling tools.

Amid NSW GambleAware Week, he revealed that one of the goals of the campaign would be to promote such tools that can help reduce losses and problem gambling.

At the same time, Cantwell confirmed that the National Self-Exclusion Register, BetStop, will be promoted throughout the whole country as a critical safer gambling tool that complements the robust responsible gaming tools supplied by licensed operators.

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