Sponsor speech Supports
Andrew Wilkie
Andrew Wilkie supports the bill and says it is needed to stop gambling companies profiting from illegal money and to hold them accountable for predatory conduct.
Read in Hansard ↗Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment (Making Gambling Businesses Accountable)
Current status
This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Policy area
Budget, tax & economy
What does this bill do?
Gambling companies would have to tell AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. when they reasonably suspect a customer is trying to pay for gambling with money or property obtained illegally.
Why was it introduced?
Gambling companies can profit when customers use illegally obtained money or stolen propertyProperty or money obtained illegally, which this bill treats as the kind of funds gambling businesses must not accept., leaving innocent victims to bear the loss. This bill requires gambling businesses to report those suspicions to AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. within three business days, stop providing the service, and allows court-ordered compensation.
Broader context
Australia already had anti-money laundering rules and a gambling market losing more than $25 billion a year, but cases such as Gavin Fineff's showed betting companies could take huge sums of stolen money without basic proof-of-funds checks, while online gambling also climbed during and after the first COVID-19The pandemic period used in the page to describe a rise in online betting activity. period. The bill was introduced in September 2022 to force gambling businesses to report suspected criminal funds, stop taking those bets and expose them to compensation claims, and later AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. action against Crown and Entain showed the money-laundering risks in gambling remained live even after the bill fell away.
Key criticism
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and the available debate material does not show a developed argument that these anti-money-laundering duties would cause harm. The recorded speeches supported the bill, while later public reporting focused on gambling sector compliance failures rather than objections to making operators report and block suspicious transactions.
Who supported it?
Andrew Wilkie MPMember of Parliament, the title shown after Andrew Wilkie's name. introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Centre Alliance, some crossbench members.
Introduced in House 05 Sept 2022
Failed in House 20 Mar 2023
Did not reach Senate —
Did not become law —
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
196 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
What does this bill do?
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Gambling companies would have to tell AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. when they reasonably suspect a customer is trying to pay for gambling with money or property obtained illegally.
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Gambling companies would have to send that AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. report within 3 business days after forming the suspicion.
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Gambling companies would be banned from supplying gambling services when they have reason to believe the customer will use illegally obtained money or property, and breaking that rule could bring a civil penalty.
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People who lose money or suffer damage because stolen money was used for gambling could ask the Federal CourtThe court that could order compensation for a person who lost money because a gambling business accepted stolen funds. to order compensation from the gambling company.
Show source excerpts
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Item 2 extends the suspicious matter reporting obligation to include gambling companies who have cause to suspect on reasonable grounds that the bettor is proposing to pay for the supply of the gambling service with stolen property.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment (Making Gambling Businesses Accountable) explanatory memorandum -
Item 3 inserts a provision requiring the gambling company to give the AUSTRAC CEO a report about the suspicious matter, implemented by Item 2, within three business days of forming the suspicion.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment (Making Gambling Businesses Accountable) explanatory memorandum -
Sections 100A and 100B stipulate that a reporting entity, of which a gambling company is, must not provide a gambling service to a person if they have reason to believe the person will pay for the service with property they have obtained illegally. Section 100B(1) is a civil penalty provision.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment (Making Gambling Businesses Accountable) explanatory memorandum -
Item 7 inserts a provision which allows the Federal Court to make a compensation order to compensate an injured person. An injured person is a person who has suffered, or is likely to suffer, loss or damage because another person has paid for a gambling service using property they obtained illegally from the injured person.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment (Making Gambling Businesses Accountable) explanatory memorandum
Context
Broader context for this bill
Australia already had anti-money laundering rules and a gambling market losing more than $25 billion a year, but cases such as Gavin Fineff's showed betting companies could take huge sums of stolen money without basic proof-of-funds checks, while online gambling also climbed during and after the first COVID-19The pandemic period used in the page to describe a rise in online betting activity. period. The bill was introduced in September 2022 to force gambling businesses to report suspected criminal funds, stop taking those bets and expose them to compensation claims, and later AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. action against Crown and Entain showed the money-laundering risks in gambling remained live even after the bill fell away.
- September 2016 to June 2018
Tabcorp took repeated large deposits from Gavin Fineff without proof-of-funds checks
The second reading speech said Fineff deposited $10,000 or more 194 times into his TABA betting account or betting outlet in the gambling industry, mentioned here as the place where large deposits were made. account and lost almost $4 million before the account was frozen.
Hansard ↗ - 2018-2019
Australians lost more than $25 billion on gambling
The bill's sponsor cited Australian Gambling Statistics showing losses of $25 billion in 2018-19, underscoring the scale of gambling harm behind the proposal.
Second reading speech ↗ - October 2020
COVID-19The pandemic period used in the page to describe a rise in online betting activity.-era betting surge brought more people into online gambling
A report cited in the second reading speech found one in three surveyed participants opened a new online betting account in the early pandemic period and more were gambling four or more times a week.
Second reading speech ↗ - 05 Sept 2022
Bill introduced to make gambling businesses report and stop suspected criminal betting
Andrew Wilkie introduced the bill saying gambling companies should have to notify AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. within three business days, stop supplying the service and face compensation orders where stolen money was used.
Hansard ↗ - 30 May 2023
Crown agrees proposed $450 million AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. settlement
AFR reported that Crown and AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. filed joint submissions for a $450 million penalty over anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing contraventions at its Melbourne and Perth casinos.
Australian Financial Review ↗ - 20 Mar 2025
AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. accuses Entain of letting suspected criminals gamble through its apps
AFR reported AUSTRACAustralia's financial intelligence regulator, which would receive the suspicious matter reports from gambling businesses. alleged Ladbrokes and Neds owner Entain allowed more than a dozen suspected criminals to funnel dirty money through customer accounts despite known risks.
Australian Financial Review ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 05 Sept 2022
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 05 Sept 2022
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) 20 Mar 2023
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and the available debate material does not show a developed argument that these anti-money-laundering duties would cause harm. The recorded speeches supported the bill, while later public reporting focused on gambling sector compliance failures rather than objections to making operators report and block suspicious transactions.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
Recorded votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
Lead non-major voice Supports
Rebekha Sharkie
Sharkie supports the bill and says it is only a small first step, but one that would put more accountability on gambling companies and help victims recover compensation for gambling harm.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
Minor parties and independents
2 speakers · 2 support
Minor parties and independents
2 speakers · 2 support
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Andrew Wilkie ★ Andrew Wilkie supports the bill and says it is needed to stop gambling companies profiting from illegal money and to hold them accountable for predatory conduct.
“This brings me back to the bill. Gavin Fineff believes—and I agree with him—that he was deliberately targeted by the gambling companies for his addiction. Of course the betting agencies would have known that Gavin's gambling was suspicious, because their software tracks certain behaviour and hunts down the most vulnerable so they can be groomed and milked of every dollar they have. And this must stop, because gambling companies are preying on the financially and emotionally vulnerable and must be held accountable for their unconscionable and unethical behaviour. So, while I in no way condone Gavin's behaviour, I do acknowledge that an addict, by definition, has lost control of their behaviour and that the bigger crims are those that knowingly create the addiction in the first place. At least Gavin is prepared to try and do something about it, and good on him for that.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
Rebekha Sharkie ★ Sharkie supports the bill and says it is only a small first step, but one that would put more accountability on gambling companies and help victims recover compensation for gambling harm.
“We need to hold them accountable and they need to be more responsible. We need to do more in this place. Enacting this bill would allow victims of such theft to recoup compensation from the gambling firms who are ultimately reaping huge, huge rewards. I commend this bill to the House as an important first step in helping to address gambling harm that impacts our whole society.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Status
- Not Proceeding -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- House of Representatives
- 05 Sept 2022
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 05 Sept 2022
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
- 20 Mar 2023
House · Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.