Australian Self-exclusion to go Live in August

Customers will be able to deliberately self-exclude from Australian licenced gambling services thanks to BetStop, which was first announced in June 2022.

Australian Self-exclusion to go Live in August

Australian authorities have announced that the new "BetStop" self-exclusion registration will go live on August 21.

Customers will be able to deliberately self-exclude from Australian licenced gambling services thanks to BetStop, which was first announced in June 2022. Operators will not be permitted to allow programme participants to register accounts or place bets.

Additionally, licensees are not permitted to promote to BetStop customers who have registered. Customers may register for BetStop for free and finish the process in a single transaction. Self-exclusion can last anywhere from three months and a lifetime for an individual.

“Protecting Australians from online gambling harms is a key priority for the government,” the minister for communications, Michelle Rowland, said.

“The launch of Australia’s first national self-exclusion register is a game changer. It will make it easy for vulnerable consumers to self-exclude from online wagering services.”

Along with the introduction of BetStop, the government will also require client pre-verification. Operators will now be required to confirm a customer's identification both before and throughout the registration process for a new account. The current need to confirm a customer's identification within 72 hours will be replaced by this one.

According to the government, this would enhance protection for persons who are underage or who have just enrolled but have self-excluded through BetStop. Operator promotion of BetStop is one of the new requirements among other new regulations. This includes any marketing to clients as well as their websites/mobile apps.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) set to undertake a public awareness campaign to advertise BetStop.