On June 11, a ban on credit cards for iGaming in Australia officially took effect, following the end of a six-month grace period for the country’s players and operators.
Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and other credit-related products are also banned. Moving forward, violators will face fines of up to AU$234,750 (US$155,780) for noncompliance.
The ban was introduced last September via the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023, which was an amendment to the country’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001. It was eventually passed in December.
As part of the new legislation, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) also gained some additional oversight powers, including the ability to enforce violations and issue fines.
In a release, the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland asserted that “Australians should not be gambling with money they do not have,” and added that the ban “ builds on the significant progress to minimise gambling harm that the Albanese Government has made over the past two years, which is already benefiting thousands of vulnerable Australians.”
Lotteries and keno were notably excluded from the ban, drawing the ire of both operators and anti-gambling advocates alike.
Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), a trade group that represents several of the country’s biggest online operators, has long supported a credit ban, but has advocated against the two carveouts.
“RWA and its members support the extension of this measure to all forms of gambling that have been exempted from the ban such as lotteries and keno,” RWA CEO Kai Cantwell said in a statement. “If consumer protection measures aren’t consistent across all forms of gambling it will incentivise vulnerable Australians to move to less-regulated types of gambling, where they are more at risk of harm.”
The move is the latest in a series of RG-related initiatives in the country, including the establishment of a national self-exclusion register (BetStop), additional verification requirements for online accounts, advertising language requirements, and new classifications for gambling-related content in video games.
Lawmakers are also considering a phased, three-year ban on online gaming advertising that would culminate in a total ban at the end of that period.
