Zona de Azar Australia – Australia Implements Credit Card Prohibition for Online Gambling

Australia.- June 12th 2024 www.zonadeazar.com Australia has implemented a ban on the use of credit cards for online gambling, prohibiting players from using them as a payment method.

Late last year, the Australian Parliament passed legislation to amend the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, aligning online gambling regulations with those of land-based gambling by prohibiting the use of credit cards.

Following a six-month transition period, the ban is now in effect. Any company that fails to comply with the regulation – banning credit cards, credit-related products, and digital currencies – may face fines of up to A$234,750.

The new laws have also expanded the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s powers to enforce both new and existing civil penalty provisions.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland stated, “Australians should not be gambling with money they do not have. Last year, the Albanese Labor Government committed to banning credit cards for online wagering – and we’ve delivered.

“This ban builds on the significant progress made by the Albanese Government over the past two years to minimize gambling harm, benefiting thousands of vulnerable Australians already.

“Our commitment to ensuring that gambling takes place within a robust legislative framework with strong consumer protections remains steadfast, and we will have more to announce in due course.”

Responsible Wagering Australia – whose members include bet365, Betfair, Entain, Sportsbet, Pointsbet, and Unibet – also supports the measure but believes that the credit card ban should be extended to cover lotteries and keno.

The independent peak body for Australian-licensed wagering service providers added that it has been working with the government and the financial services industry to implement the ban since 2021.

“This is an important measure to protect customers, making it easier for people to stay in control of their own gambling behavior,” said Kai Cantwell, CEO of RWA.

“It will complement the existing offering of safer gambling account management tools by RWA members. RWA and its members support extending this measure to all forms of gambling that have been exempted from the ban, such as lotteries and keno.

“If consumer protection measures aren’t consistent across all forms of gambling, it will incentivize vulnerable Australians to move to less-regulated types of gambling, where they are more at risk of harm.”

Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com