10,000 Australians Exclude Themselves From Online Gambling

At the end of August, the government in Australia launched the BetStop exclusion register. Two months after its launch, almost 10,000 Australians have decided to exclude themselves from online gambling via BetStop. The largest group opted for a lifetime exclusion.

On August 21, 2023, the Australian government launched the BetStop exclusion register, allowing Australians to exclude themselves from mobile and online gambling. The minimum duration of the self-exclusion is three months, whilst one can also opt for a lifelong exclusion. With the introduction of BetStop, gambling companies will have to confirm the identity of players before accepting bets.

Betting sites with an Australian gambling licence are not allowed to accept bets from players registered at BetStop. They must also close the accounts of players who are listed in the Betstop exclusion register. New accounts can not be registered by players who are part of the register.

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Registrations Take Less Than 5 Minutes

On Tuesday, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced that almost 10,000 Australians had excluded themselves from online gambling in the first two months. The announcement states that the majority of registered persons are younger than 40 years old. The most common duration of self-exclusion is lifelong, which Rowland says shows that young people are concerned about the impact of online gambling. Most registrations can be set up in less than five minutes, which shows that it is an effective system.

Rowland responded to the announcement of BetStop’s first figures as follows:

“The government wants to minimise the harm caused by online gambling. That’s why we launched BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register – in August this year as the final measure of the National Framework for Consumer Protection in Online Betting. It’s fantastic to see BetStop making a big difference to almost 10,000 Australians. If you or someone you care about needs support, I strongly encourage you to visit the BetStop website to find out more about the register and the many other support options.”

Michelle Rowland, Communications Minister

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Along With Other Measures

Amanda Rishworth, Minister of Social Affairs, also commented on Rowland’s message. She said that with the launch of BetStop, the government has mainly focused on preventing and minimising gambling damage that can be caused through online gambling. Rishworth is pleased to see that the launch of the register is already having such a positive impact.

“It’s great that BetStop is already having such a positive impact, along with our other measures such as new evidence-based slogans that Australians have seen on their screens and radios. Pre-verification also helps ensure that people do not find excuses to bet if they have chosen to exclude themselves from online betting. We know that minimising the harm caused by online betting is not a matter of delay and forgetting and our Government is working closely with our states and territorial counterparts on what to do next now that all measures under the National Consumer Protection Framework have been implemented. ”

Amanda Rishworth, Minister of Social Affairs

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