Responsible gambling in Australia: ACMA receives Regulatory Excellence Award for BetStop
The Australian Communications and Media Authority was awarded by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR).
Australia.- The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) 2024 has awarded The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) its Regulatory Excellence Award for the launch of BetStop, Australia’s national self-exclusion register.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin praised staff involved in the initiative. She said: “BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register represents a significant enhancement of consumer safeguards available to Australians who gamble. The IAGR award for regulatory excellence is a recognition of the dedication and collaboration of ACMA staff in delivering this important safeguard, which has supported the more than 30,000 Australians registered to date.”
Launched in August 2023, Betstop enables people to voluntarily exclude themselves from all online gambling platforms across every state and territory. It covers all licensed Australian interactive wagering service providers.
Earlier this month, the ACMA reported that 30,493 Australians had decided to self-exclude from all licensed online and phone wagering services since BetStop was launched. As of September 30, 23,182 people had active exclusions while 7,311 people had completed their self-exclusion or cancelled their exclusion early. New South Wales tops the list of jurisdictions with the most registrants at 9,537 followed by Victoria with 8,193 and Queensland with 6,140. Northern Territory is the jurisdiction with least registrants at 496.
See also: New gambling measures in New South Wales see 93% compliance
According to ACMA, 49 per cent of registrants were under the age of 30, 30 per cent were 31 to 40 and 12 per cent were 41 to 50. Some 39 per cent decided to self-exclude for life while an equal percentage chose to self-exclude from three months to two years.
Government launches review of BetStop
The Australian government has announced that it has appointed former senior public servant Richard Eccles to conduct a review of the country’s national self-exclusion register, BetStop. Eccles will deliver his final report and findings to the Minister for Communications within 18 months, and the report will be tabled in Parliament.
Minister for communications Michelle Rowland said the review will “add to the evidence base on the impacts of BetStop in Australia and voluntary exclusion programs to help inform future policy.”
Rowland added: “There has been a massive take-up of BetStop in its first 12 months, making a meaningful difference and changing the lives of thousands of Australians and their families. We want to make sure BetStop is working as effectively as possible to protect vulnerable Australians from gambling harms – which is why my department is undertaking this review. I encourage people who’ve registered or interacted with BetStop to participate in our upcoming public consultation so we can take on your feedback to inform any future changes.”
