The Hodgman Liberal Government will move to immediately draw up legislation to protect jobs in small business by banning lottery outcome wagering, also known as synthetic lotteries.
Lottery outcome wagering is a gambling model where players bet on the outcome of an official lottery rather than entering a lottery draw.
The Tasmanian Government understands that Tasmanian newsagents and lottery agents in the small business sector which employ over 500 people and contribute funding for critical community services are concerned about the confusing nature of these products for consumers and the impacts on their businesses.
There are 92 outlets authorised to provide lottery sales in Tasmania which are predominately newsagencies, but also include pharmacies, small supermarkets, corner stores and dedicated lottery outlets.
We would urge all Tasmanians who want to have a punt in a lottery to support local businesses which in turn creates jobs and generates taxes for community services.
Under Tasmania’s gambling legislation wagering on lottery outcomes is not a prescribed sports event, and so Tasmanian gaming licence holders cannot offer wagers of this type. However, Tasmania’s legislation doesn’t prevent an operator licensed in another jurisdiction from doing so.
Tasmania will consult closely with other states, like South Australia, which has already addressed this legislative issue.
The Tasmanian Government believes that lottery outcome wagering products are potentially confusing to the public. It is not sufficiently clear to consumers that the product being offered is not a genuine ticket in a given lottery, but is rather a wager on the outcome, and it does not have the same levels of consumer protection as regulated lotteries.
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We will also continue to work with the Australian Government and other states and territories towards the implementation of the National Consumer Protection Framework, to introduce stronger harmonised online gambling protections across Australia.