It’s about to get a whole lot easier for Aussies to gamble online, with the introduction of the Emerchants system to be rolled out in convenience stores, service stations and newsagencies across the country in the very near future.
The new service follows a deal between ASX listed company, Emerchants Limited, and independently owned retailers, which will allow Australian punters to make deposits and withdrawals to their online casino and sports betting accounts from a retail outlet. As it stands, over 1,600 petrol station and convenience stores have signed up to use the service, with Emerchants estimating that figure will reach 4,500 by the end of the year.
Only independently owned operators will offer the service, with big conglomerates like Woolworths and 7-Eleven backing away from the deal in March after initially signing on. As far as betting operators go, big names like William Hill and Bet365 are on board, and it’s expected that other gambling operators will follow suit.
A spokesman for William Hill told the Sydney Morning Herald that, “William Hill customers can not only get instant access to their winnings but they can deposit directly into their accounts, making their experience even faster and easier.”
Not surprisingly, the Emerchants system has received huge criticism from anti-gambling lobbyists, who see this system as a devious outlet that will allow problem gamblers to hide their gambling activity from their family or partners who keep an eye on things at home.
Financial Counselling Australia’s (FCA) director, Lauren Levin, is wary the service is being implemented as a back-up plan to avoid the government’s plan to put a bet on online bookies offering credit to their players. FCA believes the service could be used to push direct lines of credits to high risk punters.
Levin told the Sydney Morning Herald, “We know that problem gamblers need to hide their trail – they don’t want their spouses to find out. They don’t want the ATO to find out if they’re hiding income. There are also money-laundering concerns.”
Emerchants has disputed these claims, saying the service is designed to keep players loyal to particular operators. Tom Cregan, managing director of Emerchants stated, “Betting is already going to happen anyway. All it’s [Emerchants] really doing is making it more convenient for the customer. The benefit for William Hill is loyalty and attention. If [money is] re-bet, it’s re-bet with William Hill.”
The new system is sure to face much further criticism and calls for banning, especially in the wake of the new gambling reforms proposed by Nick Xenophon and Andrew Wilke.