July 9, 2009 (CAP Newswire) — Although it was first announced weeks ago, plans by Terry Waldron, the state of Western Australia’s Racing and Gaming Minister, to ban bookmakers from offering free bets to customers will soon be introduced into Parliament, iGaming Business is reporting.
If passed, this legislation would follow in the footsteps of other Australian states like New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
Specifically, the legislation will seek to prohibit bookmakers from offering inducements such as free bets as incentives to gain new customers. This practice has gotten out of hand recently, according to Waldron, since the nation recently eased some of its advertising restrictions.
“I firmly believe that offering free bets as an inducement to gamble is highly inappropriate and the guidelines will prohibit this practice,” the article quotes Waldron. “This is a responsible gambling issue and the state government takes its responsibilities in this regard very seriously.”
Waldron’s proposals to end the practice are reportedly in the final stages of drafting, and are expected to be introduced into the forthcoming session of Parliament.
To read the original article at iGamingBusiness.com, please click here.