New South Wales to impose 15% online sports betting point of consumption tax

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has opted to strike a middle ground on online sports betting point of consumption taxes (POCT).

On Tuesday, The Australian reported that NSW — Australia’s most populous state — will introduce a 10% tax on all online betting revenue derived from NSW punters. The tax, which won’t apply on the first A$1m of revenue, will be formally unveiled during next week’s state budget and will take effect on January 1, 2019.

The announcement will actually come as something of a relief for online bookmakers, given that as recently as March the NSW government was talking about either a 15% POCT or a 2% tax on betting turnover.

Already this month, a 15% POCT was introduced in both Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), matching rates previously imposed in South Australia and Western Australia. The state of Victoria opted to cut bookies a break last month by imposing a less severe 8% POCT.