In the past week, two gambling companies have been penalised by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for breaching self-exclusion laws, being fined for a combined total of $1,514,920.
Unibet failed to close 954 accounts that had registered with the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER), and PointsBet sent 508 marketing messages to self-excluded individuals in 2023, while also breaching spam laws.
In a media release, ACMA member and gambling lead Carolyn Lidgerwood said these were serious breaches putting people at risk.
“Taking in some cases 190 days to close accounts is clearly unacceptable and does not reflect the decisions made by Unibet customers to seek support to help them not gamble,” Ms. Lidgerwood said.
“The NSER rules are also there to ensure that people are making a clear and deliberate choice to recommence gambling. That is not the case if they can simply access old accounts.”
Gambling is prevalent within Australia, with 73% of Australians having gambled within the last 12 months and 38% gambling at least weekly.
Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Of those Australians who gamble, 46% are at risk of harm from gambling, sometimes stemming from addiction.
UOW Lecturer Dr. Liz Dale said gambling addiction is a very serious issue that puts people’s lives in turmoil, and Australians’ constant exposure to it is harmful.
“It’s in your face and accepted within Australian society as a normalised activity,” Dr. Dale said.
“You can’t even watch a sports game without the daily bets or statistics [odds], they’re sponsoring sports matches.”
“They [gambling advertisements] make it hard for people wanting to quit. It’s a big trigger and normalising it within society. It’s saying it’s here, betting is normal.”
The NSER and BetStop are designed to protect those at risk, restricting online elements such as emails encouraging gambling and access to online sites in order to reduce their exposure to gambling.
“Self-exclusion is a strategy that people can use to delay and make it harder to access betting.” Dr. Dale said.
If you need assistance with gambling, visit GambleAware.
And if you need to join the self-exclusion register, visit BetStop.