Responsible Wagering Australia Praises the Ban on Credit Cards in iGaming

Australia’s Federal Parliament has today passed a legislation to ban the use of credit cards in iGaming. The measure, which has been discussed for a while now, was welcomed by members of Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), a gambling industry body.

The philosophy of the measure is, as Michelle Rowland previously put it, preventing people from gambling with money they do not have. Already in effect within Australia’s traditional casino industry, the ban on credit cards is expected to lower the country’s concerning gambling harm rates.

The bill to ban the use of credit cards in iGaming remained unaltered prior to its earlier passing by the House of Representatives despite several earlier attempts to introduce amendments.

Now that the measure has been passed by the Federal Parliament, RWA expressed its thoughts on the matter.

CEO Cantwell Praised the Ban But Regretted Lotteries’ Exemption

RWA’s chief executive officer, Kai Cantwell, described the ban on credit cards as a much needed changes, echoing Rowland’s words that Australians should only be gambling with money that they have.

This is an important measure to protect customers and their loved ones, making it easier for people to stay in control of their own gambling behavior.

Kai Cantwell, CEO, RWA

Cantwell added that the ban will complement the suite of safer gambling account management tools offered by members of the RWA. However, he expressed his disappointment that certain forms of gambling, such as lotteries and keno, have been exempted from the ban. Cantwell pointed out that lotteries are the most prevalent form of gambling in the country and are commonly accessed by people in low-socioeconomic communities.

The latest Australian Gambling Statistics show that Australians lost most than $3.2 billion on lotteries and keno in 2020-21. With the introduction of online keno in Victoria, keno losses increased more than 400 per cent from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

Kai Cantwell, CEO, RWA

Cantwell also said that he regrets that lotteries were also exempt from Betstop, Australia’s national self-exclusion scheme. According to him, consumer protection measures should cover all forms of gambling. Otherwise, those at risk of harm will just migrate to a less regulated gambling vertical, Cantwell argued.

RWA’s CEO concluded that the ban is still an important step for Australia’s gambling industry and a measure that RWA members have promoted since 2021. Cantwell promised that the association will continue to engage productively to ensure that the ban can be implemented effective within six months.