Australian government to launch new self-exclusion register in August
BetStop, set to launch on 21 August, will allow people to ban themselves from all gambling companies across every state and territory
The Australian government will launch a new self-exclusion system titled BetStop on 21 August.
The new register will allow people to ban themselves from all 150 licensed online gambling firms in every state and territory across Australia using a singular form.
The free service will allow bettors to exclude themselves from periods ranging from three months to permanently.
BetStop will require all gambling companies to verify a person’s identity before they can accept a bet instead of the previously proposed 72-hour window.
This window had been criticised as it still gave vulnerable individuals time to gamble for days under a pseudonym before their real identity was revealed.
Anyone currently on a state or territory’s self-exclusion list will have to re-register with BetStop, as their details will not be transferred due to privacy reasons.
The legislation to create this register was first introduced by then-Social Services minister Paul Fletcher in 2018. The idea garnered a lot of support from the industry, but it struggled to get off the ground and faced delays this year as the firm tasked with creating it, Big Village Australia, went into voluntary administration in January 2023.
Carol Bennett, CEO of Alliance for Gambling Reform, said that the rollout of BetStop is long overdue.
She added: “For far too long, Australia has had an ineffective patchwork of self-exclusion programmes that have been poorly enforced.
“It has allowed the predatory gambling industry to continue to offer unethical inducements to people who have said they wanted to stop gambling.”
Kai Cantwell, CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia, commented: “Around Melbourne Cup is always a popular time for people to put on a bet and enjoy the best of Australian racing, but we must ensure that the BetStop technology is tested and capable of being used at one of the busiest times in the calendar.
“We implore the Australian Communications and Media Authority to work closely with providers on load testing and ensuring there are no gaps.”
This announcement comes two weeks after an Australian parliamentary inquiry published its findings which contained a 31-point plan to help mitigate the impact of gambling on Australians.
At the top of the inquiry’s list of recommendations was a call for a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising within three years.