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.”

Source:Sbcnews

By DOMENICO DRAGONE

iGaming expert - with over 10 years of experience in the retail market in Italy and knowledge of global online gaming. In the past he has worked with the largest national gambling companies and he managed some land-based shops on their behalf. Entrepreneur, investor and enthusiast of difficult challenges, in 2015 he founded The Betting Coach Group, an international news and social marketing agency geared towards sports, esports and gambling companies. He is currently the C.E.O of The Betting Coach and is a consultant for Loginbet.it Mr. Dragone collaborates with providers (game developers) and event organizers with the aim of helping them develop networks and business across continents. Passionate about journalism, he is the creator and promoter of iGaming Cafè, the first talk show in Italy, dedicated to companies and delegates from the gaming world.