Australia: iGaming, sports betting grow since pandemic; Twitch more popular for affiliates to target gamblers

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has published new research which shows an increase in online gambling among Australians. The report, shared last Thursday, shows more than one in 10 (11%) Australians have reported participating in iGaming at some stage in the previous 6 months, up from 8% in 2020.

The “Online gambling in Australia” snapshot, undertaken in June 2021, also showed an increase in sports betting, with 8% of Australians betting on sports or racing over the last 6 months, compared to 5% in 2020.

According to the ACMA, the research provides insight into the impact of Covid-19 on online gambling habits: 16% of Australians who gamble online reported an increase in their gambling frequency when compared to before the pandemic.

New ACMA research has found 11% of Australians reported participating in online gambling at some stage in the previous 6 months, up from 8% in 2020.
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— ACMA (@acmadotgov) February 16, 2022

Additionally, the media and communications authority also released a desktop study into affiliate marketing services promoting and facilitating access to online gambling services in Australia. The research found commissions for affiliate marketing sites for iGaming are “substantially higher” than other industries.

Moreover, the study also notes that social media and streaming services such as Twitch are becoming popular ways “for affiliates to target gamblers,” according to a press statement announcing the report.

Both research reports are set to contribute to ACMA decision-making, the regulator says. The studies provide the communications authority with up-to-date market developments and insights into consumer trends.

Among its conclusions regarding affiliate marketing, the ACMA says there is increasing interest in the way that gambling operators and affiliates employ a growing range of interactive online platforms to attract and retain customers.

However, the regulator warns there are “information gaps” about how affiliates are accessing and influencing rates of gambling and problem gambling in Australia, how they are circumventing existing restrictions, and how these efforts can be further reduced.

As part of the authority’s work disrupting illegal offshore gambling, the ACMA had previously set a 2021-22 compliance priority focusing on affiliate services promoting online gaming. Research is set to contribute to this effort, as the ACMA is tasked with investigating whether the services are promoting illegal gambling services in contravention of Australia’s iGaming laws.

“We’ve been disrupting illegal offshore gambling activity since 2017,” the ACMA said at the time. “We’re now focusing on affiliate services. We’ll be investigating if these affiliate services are breaking advertising laws or helping to provide illegal gambling services in Australia.”

Among the ACMA responsibilities, the agency has a role protecting from harms associated with online gambling and in 2017 it started enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. Since then, the authority has facilitated the blocking of 354 illegal gambling websites and 21 affiliate marketing sites.