The new measures go from preventing online gaming sites from offering lines of credit to their players to the establishment of a national self-exclusion register, as well as a voluntary pre-commitment scheme, which will allow players to set their own spending limits.
The Australian Government stated, after its meeting in Melbourne, that several of these measures could be implemented by the end of this year. "Federal ministers in Australia are pushing ahead with plans to reform sports betting and online gaming by preventing suppliers from being money lenders. Additional measures include self-exclusion for problem gamblers.”
The proposals by the Australian government are geared towards protecting players from unscrupulous online gaming providers. In Australia, the major bookmaking companies have concurred that they should no longer be offering clients lines of credit. It will also be prohibited for any online gaming company to have any link to payday loans companies.
The signed agreement also includes self-exclusion options available across all forms of online gaming in Australia. The Human Services Minister, Alan Tudge explained that any gambling application where players self exclude will then make self-exclusion applicable across all forms of online gaming for that player. Further, players signing up to online gaming sites will make a commitment about how much they will be gambling over a preset period of time.
Australia Minister for Human Services, Alan Tudge, who chaired the meeting, said a significant milestone had been reached in the establishment of the National Consumer Protection Framework, which was part of the Government’s response to the O’Farrell Review of Illegal Offshore Wagering.
Source: GMB / mhs.gov.au
