Australia Set To Launch Pioneer National Self-Exclusion Register in 2022. It will cover all phone betting and licensed online operators.( Image by Atul Vinayak on Unsplash)
Australia has announced its plans for gambling, stating that it is set to initiate a national self-exclusion register by mid-2022 after it appointed the developer of the GAMSTOP system in the UK, Engine Australia (renowned technology provider) to deliver the project. This register will cover all telephone betting and licensed online operators in the gambling industry. It will also allow customers to halt gambling for a period of time if they wish, beginning from a minimum of 3 months to permanent exclusion. This is coming after GAMSTOP recorded a 21% increase in Self-exclusion registration.
With the National Self-Exclusion register, gamblers can exclude themselves from all providers who offer licensed interactive betting and gambling service in a single process. The providers will also be banned from advertising directly to any person on the self-exclusion register. ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) chose Engine Australia (developer of GAMSTOP in 2018) eighteen months after the legislation was passed by the Australian parliament to approve the registration.
Statement From ACMA Chair
Speaking on the proposed launch, Nerida O’Loughlin, ACMA chair, explained that:
Players who choose to self-exclude themselves from gambling and other related activities will see their account closed and their money returned. The Chair added that the register will also ensure that no further promotion or advertising is directed the player’s way after the self-exclusion. O’Loughlin further stated that Engine Australia is best placed to deliver Australia’s self-exclusion register following its track record of developing and designing the self-exclusion register GAMSTOP in the United Kingdom and that the company’s involvement is a major step forward.
He also added that the register will make a huge difference for people who need help in changing their gambling habits while also complementing the existing protection measures put in place for customers. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will launch a discussion on the rules and design of the register together with operators. O’Loughlin added that ACMA will work with advocacy groups and customers to make sure that the needs of users are met by the register, including providing strong privacy safeguards.
People who want to self-exclude can get in touch with individual wagering providers whose services they want to be excluded from while the register is being executed. Alternatively, they can register with other accessible programs like the ones which the Northern Territory Racing Commission offers which cover many of Australia’s corporate bookmakers. Engine will now start the development and design of the self-exclusion register in Australia with trials set to begin later in the year before it will eventually be launched before the middle of 2022.
About GAMSTOP
GAMSTOP is a self-exclusion register designed and developed by Engine in 2018 to allow gamblers in the UK to control and restrict their online gambling activities. All they need to do is to sign up for the service, input the required details such as date of birth, email address, postcode, or address and they will be prevented from using apps and gambling websites run by licensed companies in the UK for a period they choose. +
GAMSTOP is currently available for free only for consumers who reside in the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland and Great Britain). A not for profit organization, the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme Ltd operates GAMSTOP in the UK!
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