One in three gamblers aware of BetStop, new research reveals
Despite BetStop being frequently vaunted by Labor, few Australian punters are aware of Australia’s gambling self-exclusion register.
Just one in three punters know of BetStop, the national gambling self-exclusion register frequently vaunted by Labor, intensifying doubts over the scheme’s effectiveness, with bookmakers also failing to promote it properly.
As Communication Minister Anika Wells oversees a review of the register, data released by the Australian Gambling Research Centre on Thursday reveals awareness of the scheme remains low, and is recognised by only 26.5 per cent of adults.
A lack of recognition was particularly acute among younger adults, aged 18 to 35, a finding the AGRC regarded as particularly concerning given the higher proportion of at-risk gamblers within this cohort.
Awareness was only slightly higher among adults who gambled every month on sports and racing products, with 36 per cent reporting a familiarity with the service.
BetStop has been regularly mentioned by Anthony Albanese and his ministers as evidence that Labor has taken action to minimise the harms posed by gambling, after a proposal to reduce wagering advertising before the election was shelved.
While the government has since revived its plan for an advertising clampdown, progress has been slow, stoking disquiet among Labor backbenchers who have been under strict instructions to not publicly press for the new restrictions.
Internal frustration spilt on to the floor of parliament on Wednesday, with Labor’s Mike Freelander – a supporter of tougher gambling advertising rules – abstaining from a vote on independent Andrew Wilkie’s push to grant government MPs a conscience vote on the matter.
The scheme, which was legislated by the Morrison government and later implemented by Labor, provides problem gamblers the opportunity to exclude themselves from internet and phone wagering services by entering their details via an online portal.
Bookmakers must subsequently block registrants from holding or opening an account, with roughly 30,000 people enrolled in the scheme. A further 17,500 people have completed their self-exclusion or exited from the register early.
Kei Sakata, executive manager of the AGRC and lead author of the new research, said the findings suggested BetStop was failing to reach the 400,000 gamblers deemed to be “high risk”.
“Even if all 30,000 of these were high-risk gamblers, this still only represents a small fraction of those experiencing severe gambling harms with a safeguard in place,” Dr Sakata said, calling for a crackdown on bookmakers to ensure they complied with the program’s promotional requirements.
While all licensed online wagering companies are required to promote BetStop on their websites and apps, and in any messages that advertise or encourage wagering services, the centre’s research found many providers were failing to meet those requirements
Hyperlinks to the BetStop site had been omitted, information regarding the register had been displayed in small or obscure fonts, and references had been buried in terms and conditions, the research found.
Contacted regarding the AGRC research, Ms Wells’s office didn’t respond before deadline.
The AGRC’s call for greater promotion of the scheme echoes a similar call made by the Alliance of Gambling Reform, an advocacy group promoting action to minimise the harm associated with wagering. In its submission to the BetStop review, it called for a government campaign – financed via an increased levy on gambling operators – to plug the program.
Amid examples of bookmakers continuing to contact BetStop registrants, Ms Wells in September flagged she was working to strengthen the gambling watchdog’s powers to “crack down” on breaches.
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