Australia sets the tone with new online gambling reforms

continued effort to crack down on problem online gambling, an agreement has been reached among federal, state, and territory ministers in Australia. Under a number of sweeping new reforms, online gambling sites operating in Australia will be banned from offering lines of credit. Operators will no longer be allowed to advertise payday lenders in an attempt to crackdown on online problem gambling. Furthermore, bookmakers will be required to provide regular activity statements to the government, detailing an individual’s wins and losses. Human Services Minister, Alan Tudge chaired a ministerial meeting on problem gambling last week, explaining how the new reforms are an important “milestone” for the national gambling framework. Tudge adds: “I think it’s unconscionable for a company to provide lines of credit for them to continue to bet once they’ve emptied out their credit cards; they’ve emptied out their savings account and yet they’re provided lines of credit. “I think they’ve come a long way to realise they’ve got to be responsible going forward if they’re to continue to operate effectively in Australia.” By September 2017, the ministers are expected to see a national self-exclusion registry established and operational, allowing players to ban themselves from gambling sites for periods ranging from three month to a lifetime. As told by The Australian, Tudge explains: “Many Australians enjoy a punt and the agreement today paves the way for stronger protections for them. The rate of problem gambling online is three times higher than elsewhere, and online wagering is growing by 15% annually. “In the future more problems will come from online punting unless we have better protections in place.” The new reforms mark another important effort by the Australian government to curb problem gambling, however, it is still looking for ways to block internet service providers and payment processors in a bid to combat illegal offshore betting.