Australia to roll out BetStop national self-exclusion register on August 21

A unified self-exclusion register for gamblers in Australia, one of the nations with the highest percentage of gamblers, is coming at long last. The measure, which was originally pitched under the term of Australian Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher in 2018, the register has long been in the making.

It is now expected to roll out on August 21 and replace local self-exclusion programs that states have been relying on to keep consumers protected from gambling harm. These programs have mostly proved inefficient as changing residence to another state or travelling there would automatically mean that someone who had blocked themselves could participate in gambling again.

The transition to the new self-exclusion system is not going to be without its rough edges. For one, the self-exclusion register, BetStop, is designed as a clean slate whereby all registrants will be newly registered and not imported from state exclusion lists. This means that people will have to enrol themselves in the new measure voluntarily as well.

BetStop will allow Australians to roll themselves into the self-exclusion program for a period of at least three months and up to a lifetime if they want to. The service is free, and the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) which is in charge of the list assures that all personal information is safeguarded.

Players who have self-excluded would not be able to place a bet, open a new account, or receive marketing messages from licensed companies. Illegal operators would in all likelihood continue to target vulnerable consumers, which is why ACMA also runs a blacklist that now features hundreds of excluded and blocked brands and operators.

The new changes are coming as part of a broader change to the gambling laws in Australia and amends to the InteractiveGambling Act 2001 passed in December 2021. ACMA conducted public consultations to create BetStop and work out a formula that allows consumers to protect themselves and remain shielded from pernicious gambling influences.

Once the self-exclusion register kicks in, companies will also have to take up responsibility and ensure that there are no players who are self-excluded and still able to place a wager on their website. Companies will have 72 hours to verify this and not be allowed to accept any wagers from consumers while this verification lasts.

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