Australia's lower house has passed a gambling reform bill that creates a national self-exclusion register for betting, funded by licensed operators.
The register runs on an opt-out model. A player can shut off access to every licensed bookmaker in the country through one database, and operators have to check customers against it and block the accounts of anyone on the list. The industry carries the cost.
The bill now goes to the Senate for a final vote. Two Coalition lawmakers oppose it on the grounds that it does not go far enough. The reform is part of the government's campaign to tighten control over betting advertising and protect problem gamblers; earlier it restricted bookmaker ads in prime time and around sports events.
Australia's online betting market is among the largest per capita. Sportsbet (Flutter Entertainment) and Ladbrokes (Entain) already offer voluntary self-exclusion, but only brand by brand. The new register makes the block industry-wide.
