Alert Over Mobile Gambling

MOBILE phone betting could create a new wave of problem gamblers, researchers warn. And governments admit there is little they can do to control the phenomenon.

The new generation of mobile phones equipped to connect to the internet means easy access to a range of online gambling options around the world.

M-gambling, as it is called, is one of the fastest-growing forms of gaming worldwide - expected to reach a turnover of $25 billion by 2009.

"Research internationally shows it's huge and we are assuming that will be the case here," said Judy Drennan from Queensland University of Technology's faculty of business, who is investigating the scale of m-gambling in Australia.

State and federal laws make it illegal for Australian companies to offer online casino-style gambling to people living here, but it is not unlawful for Australians to access overseas sites.

And it is legal to offer sports betting via the internet or mobiles here. A Commonwealth Parliamentary Library research paper prepared last October on the growth of 3G (multimedia) mobile phone technology warned of some of the looming dangers.

"In industry slang, 3G can also mean 'Girls, Gambling and Games', raising the spectre of increased availability of pornography and gambling," the report stated.

"Given the popularity of mobile telephones among youth, people concerned with community standards have recognised a need to protect those at risk from online pornography, gambling and criminal activities which are available on mobile systems."

In 2004 the Federal Government directed the Australian Communications and Media Authority to ban mobile access to phone sex services.

But an ACMA spokesman this week told The Sunday Mail they had no responsibility for gambling via mobile phones.

And a spokesman for the Queensland Treasury said: "In essence, there is no difference between a person playing a gambling game via their mobile phone internet service and playing the same game via their PC."

Paul Scully, chair of the Gambling Help Network in Queensland, will be urging fellow members of Queensland's Responsible Gambling Committee to raise concerns with the State Government. "I think it's a real issue that needs to be addressed through legislation," he said. "It's potentially a really major problem. The more accessible a form of gambling, the greater the chance of problems."

M-gambling initially took off in the UK and Europe but the Asia- Pacific region is now the fastest growing. The world's second-biggest gambling company Intralot recently established a base in Australia and has applied for a lottery licence in Victoria.

Dr Drennan said sports-mad Aussies might be most vulnerable to the booming sports betting. Some sites have dynamic or "in the run" gambling, allowing punters to bet during an event.

Her team is seeking people to take part in their research into how many Australians are already m-gambling or likely to take it up.

Contact her at jdrennan@qut.edu.au

Source : Daryl Passmore, Sunday Mail, 28 may 06

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