摘要：· Gambling is a pastime that has been recorded throughout human history, and holds an
important place in Australia’s economy, society and culture.
· Individuals derive many benefits from gambling, including potential winnings and a sense
of enjoyment and fun. Empirical estimates suggest that the existence of gambling delivers
substantial welfare gains to consumers.
· Gambling businesses across Australia deliver a range of benefits to the economy, such as
the provision of a desired product for consumers, investment, technological development,
employment, and spin-off benefits for associated industries such as tourism and
accommodation.
· The freedom of individuals to spend their own money, including on gambling, is
fundamental to a free, open society.
· At the same time as governments have opened up new opportunities for people to gamble,
assorted anti-gambling lobbies have advocated a host of restrictions on the industry.
· The extent of ‘problem gambling’ is a major issue in Australian policy discussions, and a
source of regulatory growth for the gambling industries.
· Empirical estimates of problem gambling prevalence are hampered by methodological
and statistical issues, however every indicator suggests that problem gambling is small
and in trend decline.
· The gambling industries have been very proactive in tackling problem gambling, and
where possible these initiatives should be supported on subsidiarity grounds.
· Poorly targeted one-size-fits-all government regulations, such as gaming machine caps
and bans on ATM withdrawals from gambling venues, can adversely affect the interests
of all gamblers.
· State governments also levy a range of taxes, levies and license fees specific to the
gambling industries. Despite accusations of gambling revenue ‘addiction’, the relative
importance of these taxes has declined over the past decade.
· Anti-gambling lobbies accuse the states of using gambling taxes as a way to prey on
vulnerable problem gamblers. However, it is not possible to establish the true extent to
which revenues are acquired from problem gamblers.
· Recent proposals to increase gambling taxes are likely to harm consumers, including
those on low incomes, gambling businesses and the state government revenue base.
· On economic, social and liberty grounds, restrictive government policies against
gambling should be resisted. The capacity of individuals to be free to gamble should be
the benchmark against which government policies towards gambling consumers and
providers will be judged
