Australians Join Self Exclusion Register – ACMA blocks more websites!

Aussie gambling news covering the new self-exclusion register. It also debates why iGaming licensing is not available& suggests safe casinos. (Photo by Johnny Bhalla on Unsplash)

On 27 June 2021, my co-editor, Jack Bannon, reported news of a self-exclusion register coming to Australia.

Now, the system is in full swing, and according to reports coming out of Australian media, thousands of Aussies are opting to self-exclude from sports betting sites.

The new self-exclusion registration, BetShop, has already attracted more than 10,000 people to sign up and self-exclude themselves from real money gambling activities via online or phone betting services.

However, this register only applies to online sports betting and not online casinos. If you are an Aussie and currently play at one of the legally operating online sportsbooks, you can find the BetShop website here for more information.

Once registered to BetShop, Australians will no longer be able to sign up for any other sports betting sites or phone services. Players can self-exclude for a set period, 24 hours up to 1 year, or even indefinitely. The system is similar to GAMSTOP, used by Irish and British players to self-exclude themselves from all online gambling sites in the country. Post BetShop and GAMSTOP, players could self-exclude from one gambling website but sign up or log on to another and continue to play. Both these services prevent this from happening.

The latest inclusion of a self-exclusion register is great news for the Australian gambling entertainment arena. It comes after more good news as gambling companies down under can no longer accept credit payments. However, that decision is bad news for the future of crypto gambling.

Why does the Australian self-exclusion register only account for online sports betting?

Just in case you were not aware, there is no licensing in Australia for online casinos. If players in the country want to play slots, table games, and live casinos, they must sign up for an account at an overseas casino that accepts Australian citizens. However, the Australian government calls these sites ‘black market’ casinos.

You can find these so-called ‘black market’ platforms on the best Australian online casinos page, and I have listed some in the table accompanying this section. They all operate under the Curacao licensing authority under the belief that Australian citizens should have the option to choose for themselves whether they play casino games online, as opposed to Australia’s far-right political position on the matter.

Not offering licensing for online casinos is a topic I have covered regularly in my previous Aussie news reports—the result of such a far-right view results in several issues.

1. Those who want to gamble online will do so whether the government allows it.
2. Point 1 creates an issue whereby many Australians find sites without licensing and get scammed out of their hard-earned cash.
3. With no licensing in place and the army of strong-willed Aussies that insist on playing casino games online are often left exposed because the Aussie government has no campaign or budget in place to warn players about responsible gambling.
4. Players sign up for casinos without responsible gambling tools or protection.

Why does Casinoplusbonus offer advice for Australians? For the pure fact that we want Aussies who insist on gambling online to understand the risks of the harms gambling can cause. At the same time, we vet online casinos, so if Aussie casino players sign up for overseas casinos, the ones we suggest are safe and trustworthy.

Trustworthy Aussie Casinos with Curacao Licensing

(All Casinos Accept AUD & Crypto)

Despite the Wanting Signs, Australia’s ACMA Still Bans More Overseas Online Casinos.

A recent report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (AMCA) confirms that the organisation is still banning overseas online casinos and sports books. On top of this, the Australian government has requested Curacao crackdown on Australian online casinos.

Although the organisation is simply following procedure according to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, it shows how blind the Australian government is to the real problem. Biased stats and media reports show a small minority that do lose fortunes due to gambling, but I am sure cigarettes and alcohol ruin more lives, yet there are regulations in place for both. Let’s hope a new government with a less far-right approach to online gambling realises that by not licensing online casinos, they are doing more harm than having a licensing authority in place.

For the full ACMA report stating that the ACMA has banned more than 863 illegal gambling and affiliate websites, see the ACMA news ‘Websites blocked to protect Australians‘. The title is laughable! If only there were someone in the government who knew the harm they are doing right now. Out of sight, out of mind ‘or’ ignorance is bliss are the phrases that fit the current regulations. And, of course, no research is being done to understand the harm non-regulation is causing.

It’s just my opinion: This is of course just my opinion learning from other licensing jurisdictions such as the UKGC’s research on black market gambling. I don’s say say of the this lightly. The UK Gambling Commission does everything it can to prevent its citizens from heading over to overseas casinos because the government understands how much this puts its the British public at risk-as per the list in the section above.