The Australian state of Victoria is rolling out some tough new gambling restrictions for online sports betting including limiting direct marketing of the sites to players unless they ask to receive materials.
Other restrictions would ban “free bets” that have terms where players must keep playing to earn the bonus and companies will also be blocked from offering players credit, vouchers or other rewards for encouraging others to open betting accounts.
The rules are part of a National Consumer Protection Framework and also require operators to provide “easy-to-use tools” for gamblers to set their own gambling limits or close their accounts.
“These Australian-first changes are about tightening the rules for online betting operators and empowering consumers to make better choices and I encourage other states and territories to follow our lead,” Victorian Gaming Minister Marlene Kairouz said in a press release. “Victoria is the first state to sign up to the national framework because it offers greater protection to people who gamble online and gives them practical steps to better manage their gambling.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, online wagering has become the fastest-growing form of gambling in Australia and is up 15 percent over recent years.
The industry group, Responsible Wagering Australia, has collaborated with state governments to develop online gaming reforms including the incoming measures in Victoria and a soon-to-be-established “national self-exclusion scheme” for people trying to quit gambling, the paper reported.
