The first Australian gambling self-exclusion registry is one step closer

The first national registry in Australia that works as a registry for online gambling self-exclusion by phone has taken a big leap forward.  According to Mirage News, Engine Australia was appointed to implement the project of self-exclusion gambling registry on behalf of the Department of Communications and Media.

This new national registry of self-exclusion is going to let people instantly exclude themselves from all of their licensed interactive gambling service providers. People will now be able to be excluded from any metes and bounds from three months to forever.

The exclusion will apply to licensed online betting services over the phone, for example, those offering horse racing and sports betting.

It is also noted that providers will be forbidden to directly advertise any self-excluded person.

ACMA chairwoman Nerida O’Loughlin welcomed the Engine’s resignation and said it was a big step towards important protection for Australian consumers.

“The registry is going to make a big difference to people who are looking to get support to change their gambling habits, in addition to existing consumer protections,” Ms. O’Loughlin noted.

“In case you decide to self-exclude, the registry will provide closure of your account and a refund of your money.”, and no further promotional activity will be directed at you.

“Engine is well-positioned to provide this defense as it designed and engineered GAMSTOP, the UK’s self-exclusion registry.”

Ms. O’Loughlin also said that the project moves to the next stage of development, and ACMA will begin an extensive consultation with stakeholders.

“During the consultation, we will interact with the online wagering industry on the design of the system and the rules of the registry.”

“We will also be working closely for consumers and advocacy groups to ensure that the registry meets the users’ needs, including creating strong privacy safeguards.”

The engineer now, will begin the original design and work on the solution

The service trial is expected to begin later this year, in anticipation of an expected launch by the middle of 2022.

While the registry is being implemented, people can contact individual betting providers to opt-out of their services or enroll in other existing programs, such as the program proposed with the Northern Territory Racing Commission, which covers numerous large corporate bookmakers in Australia.

Australia is the world leader in per capita gaming losses.

Australia has the highest per capita gambling losses in the world at $958 in 2017.

This means that the average Australian loses about $1,236 annually in gambling. Amazingly, 39 percent of the Australian population said they “gamble regularly.” The most common were those who like to buy lottery tickets, followed by instant scratch cards, and then poker machines.

Meanwhile, residents of low-income households spend a large portion of their disposable income on gambling, about 10 percent, as compared to high-income households which spend one percent.

Gambling money lost does not simply end up in the hands of gaming companies, as the Australian government makes significant profits from these products. In 2019, the government profited more than half a billion dollars in taxation on the gambling industry.

According to the Australian Gambling Council, the biggest losers are those who play slot machines: slot machines generate losses of $12.5 billion in any given year. For the most part, this is mostly happening in New South Wales, where the casino poker machines brought in $6.5 million in 2019, which is roughly equal to the GDP of Fiji.

Australia has 20 percent of the world’s poker machines installed because it is one of the few countries where these machines are allowed outside of casinos.