Victorian Regulator Weighs Action on Influencer Gambling Content
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission is reviewing social media content from influencers who post about poker machine play and other gambling activity, with legal action now under consideration if the material is found to breach the law. The regulator claims that they are monitoring these posts to see if they can be considered to constitute an illegal form of gambling advertisement according to Victoria’s Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
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Monitoring Social Media Posts
The commission has stated that they are investigating whether these influencers are in breach of the rules that ban the promotion and advertising of poker machines through their social media posts.
VGCCC chief executive Suzy Neilan said influencers who promote gambling may be exposing Victorians to harm and may also be breaking the law. She pointed out that by sharing pictures of their wins and celebrating their big wins, they were not only posting content but also helping people understand gambling better despite the high risks associated with it. She noted that some gambling products like poker machines and sports betting applications are quite harmful; however, they do not seem to pose the same danger in most social media posts.
Campaign Against Harm
In order to tackle this problem, the VGCCC stated that it would conduct a social media campaign targeting influential figures and making them realize that not only does gambling cause harm, but there is also a risk involved for those who promote poker machines through their social media accounts. It is known by the regulator that gambling is presented as a harmless activity or even a means of earning quick cash on the social media accounts of certain influencers.
Neilan added that many influencers have the ability to influence their audience, as they act as role models for 18 to 24-year-olds, and as such, their posts may convince people that gambling has no consequences, thus causing them to engage in gambling behavior despite the risk.
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Losses And Research
The regulatory body went further to indicate that the magnitude of losses by gambling in the state is also worth noting, as the players lost AU$3.14 billion in poker machine games in the most recent financial year. Together with this information, the VGCCC cited findings by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and the University of Sydney indicating that social media gambling content normalizes the activity for young individuals.
The commission’s concerns extend beyond influencers alone. Gaming establishments cannot also advertise poker machines beyond the gaming areas and must define entry conditions, such as prohibiting filming within their premises. According to the VGCCC, some gaming venues had put in place a prohibition against filming in their gaming areas.
Venue Rules Tighten
Neilan said people should not be filming inside venues and that operators should follow the example of venues that have already imposed no-filming conditions. She said the regulator expects other venue operators to do the same. Evidently, the VGCCC considers the two matters as part of the same bigger issue of gambling content.
This warning comes after a period when the VGCCC has been assessing the effect of gambling content on social media. For now, the regulator will monitor the content to determine the actions that it can take once the law has been violated.
Source: Inside Asian Gaming
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