Australia proposes legislation to ban credit card gambling

In line with its commitment to promote responsible gambling as Rome Casino does, the Australian government has recently tabled a proposal to ban gambling with credit cards, across both offline and online casino platforms.

Forthcoming legislation on the anvil

On 13th September, the Australian government introduced a long-anticipated bill aimed at prohibiting the use of credit cards for online gambling across the nation. Known as the "Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023", the proposal not only bans credit cards but also endeavors to eliminate other credit-related products and digital currencies from gambling use.

Fines for non-compliance

Beyond the ban itself, the proposal includes penalties for providers who fail to enforce the law. License holders could face fines of up to AU$234,750 for non-compliance with the new regulations. It falls under the ambit of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to impose these fines.

Should this change in legislation pass, there will be a transitional period of six months allocated for both the gambling industry and consumers. This period shall initiate immediately following the formal ratification of the law.

Tightening existing regulations

Australia already has a ban on credit card gambling in physical gaming venues. Hence, this bill is intended to align online gambling with current regulations.

The idea of a gambling credit card ban has been circulating in Australia for years. Following the successful implementation of a similar ban in the United Kingdom in 2020 among other countries, pressure in Australia mounted. Prominent gambling giants like bet365, Betfair and Entain also expressed their support for this measure.

Ongoing measures

The Australian government continues to demonstrate its commitment to minimizing the adverse effects of gambling. For instance, monthly summaries of winnings and losses are now provided, and a national self-exclusion registry, BetStop, is in place. Consumers can register with BetStop whenever they wish to stop gambling.

Moreover, the government will soon introduce mandatory customer verification. As part of this measure, gambling companies will be required to verify the identity of their customers before they are allowed to gamble.