Australia: almost 10,000 people register with BetStop in first two months

BetStop launched in August.

Australia.- Minister for social services Amanda Rishworth and communications minister Michelle Rowland have revealed that BetStop has received nearly 10,000 registrants since its launch in August. The nationwide self-exclusion register enables people to voluntarily exclude themselves from all online gambling platforms across every state and territory.

According to authorities, the vast majority of those who have chosen to self-exclude are under 40 years of age. The most common registration period selected is for a lifetime. 

BetStop covers all licensed Australian interactive wagering service providers, both online and telephone-based. Providers are prohibited from opening accounts or accepting bets for self-excluded people and from sending them promotional material. Providers are obligated to promote BetStop, incorporating it into their websites, apps, and marketing materials for customer awareness.

Registrants can opt for self-exclusion periods ranging from a minimum of three months to a lifetime via a single free-of-charge registration. Those already enlisted in state or territory self-exclusion registers are not automatically transferred to the national replacement.

Michelle Rowland stated: “The Albanese Government is committed to minimising the harms associated with gambling online. That’s why we launched BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register – in August this year as the final measure of the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering.

“It’s fantastic to see BetStop making a big difference to nearly 10,000 Australians. If you or someone you care about need support, I strongly encourage you to visit the BetStop website to learn more about the Register and the many other supports available”.

Amanda Rishworth added: “Our Government is focused on preventing and minimising the harm caused by online wagering and we’ve taken a number of positive steps towards achieving that goal.

“It’s great that BetStop is already having such a positive impact, along with our other measures such as new evidence-based taglines that Australians would have seen on rotation on their screens and radios. Pre-verification is also assisting in ensuring people aren’t finding workarounds to bet if they have opted to exclude themselves from online wagering.

“We know minimising the harm caused by online wagering is not a set and forget exercise and our Government is working closely with our state and territory counterparts on what comes next now all measures under the National Consumer Protection Framework have been implemented.”

Australia has the highest gambling losses per adult in the world at AU$25bn per year. Earlier this year, analysis by the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University on behalf of the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) reported that player losses on slot machines in Australia reached AU$14.5bn (US$9.7bn) during the last fiscal year.