Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) and its members are pleased that the Federal Parliament has today passed legislation to ban the use of credit cards as a payment method for online wagering.  

RWA members have been strong supporters of this measure since 2021 and are pleased to see the Parliament take decisive action to enforce the ban.

Responsible Wagering Australia CEO Kai Cantwell said that this change was much needed, as 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 behaviour,’ Mr Cantwell said.

‘Ensuring our customers have the tools to gamble in a safe environment is RWA’s number one priority and this measure compliments the suite of world leading protections that our members already offer.

‘It is disappointing to see that other forms of gambling such as lotteries and keno have been exempted from the ban, as lotteries are the most prevalent form of gambling in Australia 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.

‘Lotteries were also exempt from the National Self Exclusion Register, Betstop, meaning that Australians who have self-excluded from online gambling are not precluded from gambling up to $10,000 online at a time through lotteries,’ Mr Cantwell said.

‘To effectively reduce gambling harm, consumer protection measures must exist across all forms of gambling, otherwise those at risk of harm will just move from one form of gambling to other less regulated and more dangerous markets.

‘RWA members have been working with the Federal Government and the financial services industry to deliver this credit card ban since 2021 and will continue to engage productively to ensure the ban can be implemented effectively within six months.’