There are a lot of changes taking place in Australia’s online gambling landscape – from new betting sites constantly opening up to the government imposing limitations that affect both the players and gambling sites themselves.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the latest news that are likely to heavily influence Australia’s online gambling industry.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Australia to Ban Credit Cards for Online Gambling
Online casinos and betting sites in Australia will no longer be able to accept credit cards from players, with fines up to $234,750 for those who don’t abide by this rule.
The new bill was introduced to the parliament in mid-September, with the federal government seeking to ban the use of credit cards and related products for online gambling.
This isn’t really a surprise since credit cards have been ruled out of land-based casinos a very long time ago.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland stated that “people should not be betting with money they do not have.”
The aim of this bill is to help vulnerable gamblers not to get in over their head.
The Introduction of BetStop
The bill to ban credit cards was actually proposed shortly after BetStop was introduced.
This is a national self-exclusion program similar to the UK’s GamStop scheme, which allows Australians to self-exclude themselves from any online gambling activities.
By signing up with this program, players will no longer be able to place bets at licensed online casinos and betting sites in Australia.
Registering with BetStop is free, and once you do, you won’t be able to log in, place a bet, create a new account, or receive any marketing messages about online gambling.
It is also not possible to reverse your decision and stop the self-exclusion before the period you chose is over.
Besides allowing you to self-exclude from online gambling activities, the BetStop program also offers many different services, including counseling and helping you manage your finances better.
You can contact them on WhatsApp, Messenger, and via email.
Powerball $40 Million Jackpot Goes to NSW Border Town
Wentworth, one of the smallest towns in New South Wales, now has 10 new multi-millionaires after a syndicate lottery ticket claimed the $40 million Powerball jackpot.
The winning ticket was announced late on Thursday, 31st of August, 2023 – and the NSW syndicate was the only winner of the grand prize.
The winning numbers were 10, 35, 27, 32, 6, 14 and 31, with 6 being the Powerball number.
Ten lucky Australians had a stake in the syndicate ticket, and they will now share $4 million each.
One of the new millionaires stated:
“I just had a look! I can’t believe it!” “We’re only a small town and it’s crazy to think there are now 10 multi-millionaires here,” as stated by The Lotter.
TL;DR
For those of you who want to get straight to the point, here’s a TL;DR version of the most important bits in this article:
- Australia to ban the use of credit cards for any online gambling activities following a new bill that was passed from the federal government to the parliament in mid-September.
- BetStop is a new initiative released by the Australian government to help vulnerable gamblers self-exclude themselves from any online gambling activities.
- A small town in NSW now has 10 new multi-millionaires after a syndicate ticket won Powerball’s grand $40 million jackpot.
Thanks for reading!