‘Too many loopholes’ in Labor’s BetStop gambling register

The effectiveness of BetStop, the national gambling self-exclusion register frequently vaunted by Labor, has been brought into question.

Communications Minister Anika Wells faces calls to further strengthen its gambling self-exclusion register. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

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The effectiveness of BetStop, the national gambling self-exclusion register frequently vaunted by Labor, has been brought into question, with Communications Minister Anika Wells facing calls to strengthen the scheme to prevent people circumventing it.

The Albanese government is undertaking a review of the register, prompting the Alliance for Gambling Reform to call for the scheme to be extended to other forms of wagering and for its enforcement mechanisms to be strengthened.

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 it controversially shelved a proposal to reduce wagering advertising ­before the election.

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 approximately 27,000 people currently enrolled in the scheme. A further 12,000 people have completed their self-exclusion or exited from the register early.

In a submission to the review – which is being undertaken by former senior bureaucrat Richard Eccles and is not slated to be handed to Ms Wells until early 2026 – the alliance claimed that while the scheme’s registration was simple, significant shortcomings remained.

“There’s gaps and holes in BetStop,” the alliance’s chief advocate, Tim Costello, said. “Companies that are serious about evading the scheme can still do so.”

The advocacy group’s criticism follows reports of loopholes in the scheme’s design, which have allowed registrants to keep punting even after they had signed up by using different forms of identification. In response, the alliance urged the government to restrict accepted photo identification to either a passport or driver’s licence.

With the scheme currently limited to internet and phone wagering services, the alliance recommended it be expanded to cover other forms of gambling, including online keno and foreign-matched lotteries.

The ability to self-exclude from land-based racing, wagering, and pokies would additionally afford “greater protection from those at risk of harm from gambling”, the alliance said.

While gambling companies are barred from contacting BetStop registrants, the ­alliance recommended that the government strengthen the scheme by making it an offence to distribute any promotions to self-excluded ­individuals.

The group also recommended greater promotion of the BetStop program as an “immediate priority”, calling for a government campaign – financed via an increased levy on gambling ­operators – targeting sporting and racing-related content.

Concerns over industry compliance with the scheme intensified last month after online gambling company Unibet was fined more than $1m by the Australian Communications and Media Authority for falling foul of the self-exclusion register’s rules.

An investigation conducted by the media watchdog concluded that Unibet failed to close the accounts of almost 1000 customers who had registered with BetStop, with the accounts of 45 customers remaining open for 190 days or more.

Leading online bookmakers, including Tabcorp, Sportsbet and Ladbrokes parent Entain, alongside gambling industry lobby group Responsible Wagering Australia, are yet to publicly release their submissions to the BetStop review.

However, The Australian understands betting companies are generally supportive of extending the scheme to other forms of wagering – such as lotteries and retail gaming — arguing it would create a level playing field across the sector.

In at least one case, a wagering service provider has advocated for an expansion of the BetStop scheme, suggesting companies should be allowed to refer certain customers—provided they give their consent—to the self-exclusion service.