Australia introduces National Self-Exclusion Register

The Australian Senate and House of Representatives have passed new legislation which would establish a National Self-Exclusion Register for those at risk of problem gambling behaviours.

Alongside the new legislation, the government has also introduced a bill which would bring in a levyt for operators which would go towards covering the costs of the new register, which is due to be overseen by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

When players sign up to the register, licensed operators must not communicate with these individuals, nor disclose any information about these customers for marketing purposes.

The accompanying National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2019 will ensure that the ACMA holds responsibility for determining the levy cost for each stakeholder. In total this sum must not exceed the total outlay of ACMA on the self-exclusion project.

The approval of both pieces of legislation, according to Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston, will ensure that the government has the ability to guarantee that operators are compliant.

Ruston explained: “The Register will allow people to quickly and easily exclude themselves from all interactive wagering services licenced in Australia through a single registration process.

“This will meet a critical gap in consumer protection for Australians who gamble online and reduce the harm of online wagering to vulnerable consumers,” she added. “I would like to thank organisations like Tabcorp, Responsible Wagering Australia and Financial Counselling Australia for their input to date to implement the Register.”