Published: November 29, 2018

Australia: Gamblers to ban themselves under new national register scheme

A national register will be set up to allow Australians trying to quit gambling to ban themselves from all betting sites and apps, as part of a wide-ranging suite of new industry standards to roll out over 18 months.

Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher is set to announce on Friday that every state and territory government around the country has now signed off on long-awaited reforms to the rapidly expanding online betting industry aimed at tackling problem-gambling risks and toughening consumer protections for punters.

Online sports-betting has become Australia's fastest-growing form of gambling, rising in popularity by 15 per cent a year, and has prompted concerns within the federal government that the dangers of developing problematic gambling habits could be greater online.

Mr Fletcher said Australians' "affinity for technology and a long-standing cultural acceptance" of gambling had seen the rate of online problem-gambling rise to "three times higher" than other types of gambling.

He said the new measures were designed to reduce the harm that could be caused to gamblers and their families by "excessive or at-risk online wagering".

Despite the current patchwork of different gambling laws from state to state, Mr Fletcher said the so-called National Consumer Protection Framework would cement a series of 10 nationally consistent minimum standards applying to all online wagering providers.

The standards will apply to about 2.5 million active online betting accounts, the government said.

The country’s biggest online-only bookmakers — including Sportsbet, BetEasy, Ladbrokes and Bet365 — have been working with governments through the Stephen Conroy-led industry group Responsible Wagering Australia to develop the new gaming reforms, the most important of which is the national self-exclusion scheme permitting punters to ban themselves across states and all wagering sites at once on smartphones, computers and tablets with a single click.

“If you exclude from one, you exclude from all, Mr Fletcher said. "This is a first in Australia."

Other reforms include a voluntary opt-out scheme for gamblers to set betting limits when they sign up, a ban on offering "inducements" to tempt Australians to open online betting accounts or to refer a friend to open one, and a responsibility for bookmakers to provide customers with more detailed accounts of their betting activity.

Mr Conroy, representing the online bookmakers, said the federal government had led a "thorough and consultative process on this important package of measures".

"These are landmark reforms which solidify Australia’s place as a leader in social responsibility in wagering," Mr Conroy said.

https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/gamblers-to-ban-themselves-under-new-national-register-scheme-20181129-p50j7u.html

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