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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed further details about their upcoming nationwide gambling self-exclusion register, including its planned name of BetStop.
The announcement also revealed details of the standard rules of the register, specifically requiring online and telephone-based gambling operators to promote BetStop on all available media channels such as their website, marketing materials, and any dedicated casino apps.
Real money gambling operators have also been given various options to detect and identify players who have signed up for BetStop (which thereby places them under self-exclusion). Said operators are required by the ACMA to immediately refuse service and close the accounts of these self-excluded players.
Players may register to self-exclude with BetStop for a period ranging from three months to permanently.
Nerida O'Loughlin, Chair of the ACMA, announced that BetStop will be fully operational over the next few months, and urged the gambling industry to have all of the mechanisms and systems in place to ensure the protection of vulnerable gamblers.
“BetStop helps those at risk of gambling harm to take control of their situation, allowing them to block themselves from all licensed online and phone wagering services in a single process,” O'Loughlin added.
"People who want to change their gambling habits can also start exploring whether Betstop can play a role to help them make those choices."
At present, gamblers still have access to self-exclusion services, but this involves directly contacting the casinos and sportsbooks that they are registered to.
Over the past year, the ACMA has been ramping up their efforts to crack down on illegal online gambling in the interests of protecting Australian gamblers. Most notable were their sweeping ISP bans of dozens of online casino sites that operate outside of the legal influence of Australian gambling law.
