Gambling regulatory regimes and the framing of “responsible gambling” by transnational casino corporations: Asia-Pacific regimes in comparative perspective

This article addresses land-based casino gambling, with consideration of how Asia-Pacific gambling might be distinguished from other globally-oriented regional gambling regimes. Gambling is an area of public policy that is licensed and regulated by national/sub-national governments which use a range of policy instruments in seeking to curb gambling-related problems in an industry dominated by transnational casino corporations (TNCCs) with multiple sites and global supply chains. While the sheer scale of gambling in Macau tends to define Asian gambling, other jurisdictions seeking to capitalise on the burgeoning Asian market for gambling adopt similar liberal gambling regulatory models, with the partial exception of Singapore. Here, the role of TNCCs is explored, including how they frame and practice responsibility for predictable harms – operationalised as “responsible gambling” – by casinos with operations in Macau, Melbourne and Las Vegas. Industry self-regulation and individuals bearing risk and consequences of gambling-related harm are central axioms. Government and industry are co-producers of the costs and benefits of gambling in liberal regimes, and TNCCs operating across jurisdictions tend to operate to the least restrictive regulations rather than proactively embracing global best practice.