On November 15, the Australian House of Representatives passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023, which would ban players from using credit cards and digital currencies to fund online gambling.
The bill, which was introduced back in September, will now proceed to the country’s Senate for further consideration. The legislation has already received bipartisan support.
If approved, the government will grant operators and players a six-month grace period to fall under compliance with the new regulations. After that, however, penalties and fines for licensees will increase to a maximum of AU$234,750 ($149,722) per offense.
Additionally, the oversight of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) would also expand to allow the agency to issue civil penalties to players who violate the ban.
The country has already banned the use of credit cards at land-based casinos, and some banks had already begun to prohibit account holders from using credit cards for any gambling prior to the bill being introduced.
