South Australia to introduce new gambling tax

state government of South Australia has announced a new place of consumption tax to be levied on betting companies offering services in the state.

To be included in next month’s state budget and commenced from 1 July 2017, the 15% tax is Australia’s first interstate gambling tax, and is expected to raise as much as AUD$9.2m in new revenue each year.

The tax represents the first time an Australian jurisdiction will target betting companies based on where bets are placed, as opposed to where they are located.

Operators including Ubet, Sportsbet and Ladbrokes are expected to be affected by the measure.

The new rate is similar to the 15% remote gaming duty introduced by the HMRC in the UK in December 2014.

Tom Koutsantonis, Treasurer of South Australia, said: “The betting industry is rapidly changing and out tax regime needs to change with it.

“If betting companies are making profits from South Australian punters they should be paying tax in South Australia, not in whichever jurisdiction their head office and servers happen to be located.

“By implementing a wagering tax based on place of consumption, we are ensuring that businesses are paying taxes in the jurisdiction in which they are making their money.”