News Brief: English
Summary
Northern Territory politicians are demanding a parliamentary inquiry into the laws governing the NT Racing and Wagering Commission, the de facto national regulator for Australia’s massive online gambling industry, following revelations of its inadequate oversight and operational shortcomings.
Key Points
- Call for Inquiry: NT crossbenchers have called for the Racing and Wagering Act to be referred to a legal committee for scrutiny.
- Regulatory Hub: The NT hosts 43 corporate bookmakers due to low taxes, making its part-time Commission the national regulator.
- Commission Deficiencies: An investigation found the Commission meets only once a month, has no full-time staff, and had significant delays in resolving complaints.
- Weak Enforcement: The Commission was found to have insufficient powers, leading to feeble penalties; it has never cancelled a bookmaker’s license.
- Recent Report: Its first annual report since 1993 showed 10.1 million customers, 1.8 billion bets, and $42.4 billion in turnover for the 2024-25 year.
- Complaints & Discipline: The Commission received 562 complaints and disciplined bookmakers 19 times, issuing $300,000 in total fines.
- Government Response: The NT Attorney-General has called for concrete proof of allegations before acting.
新闻简报：中文
总结
在揭露其监管不足和运作缺陷后，北领地政界人士要求对管辖北领地赛马与博彩委员会的法律进行议会调查。该委员会是澳大利亚庞大的在线博彩业事实上的国家监管机构。
关键点
- 呼吁调查：北领地的中立议员呼吁将《赛马与博彩法案》提交给法律委员会进行审查。
- 监管中心：由于税率低，北领地是43家 corporate bookmakers 的所在地，使其兼职的委员会成为国家监管机构。
- 委员会缺陷：一项调查发现，该委员会每月仅开会一次，没有全职员工，并且在处理投诉方面存在严重延迟。
- 执法薄弱：发现该委员会权力不足，导致处罚无力；它从未吊销过任何博彩公司的执照。
- 近期报告：其自1993年以来的首份年度报告显示，2024-25年度拥有1010万客户，受理18亿次投注，总投注额为424亿澳元。
- 投诉与处罚：委员会收到562起投诉，对博彩公司进行了19次处罚，总计罚款30万澳元。
- 政府回应：北领地总检察长要求在采取行动前提供指控的具体证据。
Original Article Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-22/nt-parliament-requests-online-gambling-regulator-inquiry/105921322