South Australia

Who’s in Charge

South Australia’s Consumer and Business Services (CBS) are responsible for gambling licences and permits for bookmakers and agents as well as collecting tax from the South Australian Totalizator Agency Board (SATAB) and any unclaimed monies from racing clubs and bookmakers. The CBS also assists with dispute resolution.

To regulate the industry, the CBS works with the Office for Recreation and Sport and the Independent Gaming Authority (IGA).

The Independent Gaming Authority (IGA)

According to their official government website, the Independent Gambling Authority takes responsibility for the regulation of casino gambling, gaming machines (pokies) in clubs and hotels, racetrack and sports betting, and lotteries.

Advertising, (self) exclusion, responsible gambling practices, employee training and more are all covered under the South Australia Gambling Codes of Practice Notice 2013.

The IGA site mentions that according to the code, gaming providers “must not offer inducements” to encourage people to open an account or gamble, but then goes on to say that free non-alchoholic drinks and loyalty programs are acceptable. There are a few more details provided on inducements (free coffee and tea are OK, free meals are not, etc.) but for further clarification, the IGA website directs visitors to the legal text itself — a 64-page pdf of the Gambling Codes of Practice Notice 2013.

Problem Gambling

The IGA website provides clear information on exclusion which is referred to as “barring“. Gambling venues can bar people they believe to have gambling problems. People can also voluntarily apply to be barred.

South Australia has a thorough and dedicated website for problem gambling with information and resources for gamblers as well as family and friends. There is a full range of free gambling help services offered including a telephone helpline, real time chat and face-to-face counselling. They also offer tailored services to particular population groups. Also available is a “get your gambling under control” reminder SMS system as well as a downloadable app.

An interesting info-graphic in the “How do you gamble?” section shows the spectrum of gambling behaviours. There is an excellent section on recognising the signs of problem gambling in yourself or those around you and an interesting “Assess Your Gambling” quiz.

The Myths and Odds section makes for interesting reading — watch out for those asteroids!

Not to be missed is an in-depth look at how pokies work including everything you need to know on “What happens when I press the button?”, gambling strategies, machine features and RTP.

Another really interesting section is the “Stories” pages. Here you can read the personal stories submitted by problem gamblers as well as families and friends of gamblers.

The Office for Recreation and Sport

The Office for Recreation and Sport provides strategic Policy advice to the Minister for Racing on matters relating to the South Australian Racing Industry. Their website provides a small amount of information on sports integrity but nothing else related to sports betting.