Australian gaming giant Tabcorp has raised some eyebrows by announcing a partnership with The Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR), an anti-gaming organization, and the Australian Hotel Association (AHA) in order to lobby for increased tax rates for iGaming operators, most of whom are international.
The trio have formed the Aussie Fair Play Coalition (AFPC), and will advocate for nationwide implementation of tax structures that mirror Queensland, after the state recently unified tax rates for both land-based and iGaming companies.
The coalition’s principle argument is that most iGaming providers are international and not Australian-based, which means that disproportionate tax rates actually hurt domestic companies.
Victoria was the first Australian state to implement a point-of-consumption tax (POCT) back in 2019, and the POCT rate varies throughout the country from 10 to 15 percent. Land-based operators, however, face much higher rates—there is a 65 percent rate for poker machines alone.
Tabcorp CEO Adam Rytenskild said previously that online gaming “has changed the market substantially since (Tabcorp’s) licenses were issued,” and therefore should compensate for the disparity in tax revenue.
After Queensland recently implemented new tax structures, Rytenskild said in a company statement that he applauded the state government “for delivering fair and much-needed reforms.”
