BetStop, Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register celebrated its first anniversary last Wednesday. In connection with this significant milestone, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) reported that more than 28,300 residents have used the gambling self-exclusion service thus far.
The government initiative, introduced by the ACMA, is completely safe and free of charge, enabling consumers to voluntarily block themselves from all legitimate online and mobile providers of gambling services in a few easy steps.
They can do so for a period lasting from a minimum of three months to a lifetime. Approximately 47% of current users have opted for a lifetime block from gambling, signaling a strong commitment to a lasting change. In contrast, just 17% have picked the shortest exclusion period of three months.
As per data from the National Self-Exclusion Register fact sheet, registration trends over the past six months have remained predominantly consistent, averaging 1,600 applications per month. However, registrations tended to increase during major sports events and the New Year period. Weekends and Mondays were typically the busiest days of the week in terms of number of registration applications being processed.
As for the duration of the exclusion period, over 2,100 users have opted for an extension, with one-third deciding to quit gambling for good. More than 1,900 Australians have renewed their exclusion as soon as the initially picked period ended.
People can cancel the self-exclusion earlier than what they initially picked as long as at least three months have passed. Despite this option, as few as 330 users (nearly 1%) have decided to get back to gambling earlier. This, however, necessitates a consultation with a gambling counsellor or a general practitioner, as well as submitting a statutory declaration. As of 21 August, there are 23,000 users of the self-exclusion service.
Notably, younger individuals account for the greater part of exclusion requests, with 49% of users aged 30 years and under, and 30% aged 31 to 40. Australians between 41 and 50 years old account for 21% of all applications. Those aged 51 to 60 make up just 6% of all users, and 60+ applicants account for 3%.
ACMA Remains Committed to Promoting BetStop as a Viable Tool to Minimise Gambling Harm
Nerida O’Loughlin, Chair and Head of the ACMA commented on the self-exclusion statistics covering the first year of BetStop’s operation: “Online gambling can cause a great deal of harm to individuals, their families, and friends, so it’s encouraging that so many people have decided to take the step and register to self-exclude.”
Ms O’Loughlin further commended the trend of younger Australians acting responsibly and limiting the role of gambling in their lives. She also underlined the significance of the available support systems, as the decision to stop online gambling can be a laborious process.
Users can get support from a friend or a relative during the self-exclusion period, an option that has proved to be especially effective. Support individuals get notifications upon key events, such as the completion of a self-exclusion period or an earlier request to cancel one. Lifetime self-exclusions are more common in users with a support person compared to users with no such appointed individual (60% vs. 45%), according to data.
- Author
Daniel Williams
