More restrictions on online gambling in Australia

The Australian newspaper Herald Sun reports that Australian provincial and federal ministers agreed Friday to stop bookmaking operators from offering free bets and other inducements to gamble in a renewed effort to mitigate the incidence of problem gambling.

The landmark agreement is intended to stop bookies such as Sportsbet, William Hill and Crownbet giving bonuses to punters who open new accounts or refer their friends.

The proposals include provision to ensure that winnings from any bonus bets must be able to be withdrawn without any conditions attached, and a requirement that all punters must now “opt in” to receive communications detailing promotional deals and offers.

Federal Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said in a statement:

“Many Australians enjoy a punt, but we want to ensure there are reasonable protections in place and that individuals have greater control over their gambling expenditure.

“Online gambling is growing faster than any other form … the gambling problems of the future will all come from the online space if we don’t put sensible protections in place now.”

The Friday meeting also saw provincial and federal ministers agree on strict new standards to give punters easy access to account closure information on online betting platforms.

Timelines and rules were also formulated to support a series of other gambling reforms agreed upon earlier this year.

Among these is a centralised national self-exclusion register where punters can block themselves from betting with all bookmakers on their phones, computers and tablets, which will be operational by the end of 2018. The gambling industry will be expected to fund the register and its wide promotion, and will be required to return positive balances in active accounts of those who self-exclude.

The ministers agreed to implement a voluntary precommitment scheme for online betting by June 2018, allowing gamblers to set binding deposit limits. Again, operators will be expected to publicise the project and prompt new gamblers on registration to set limits on their gambling accounts.

The trade body Responsible Wagering Australia says it welcomes the reforms, which help protect vulnerable gamblers.