Responsible Wagering Australia welcomes the Government’s announcement today to take steps to prohibit the use of credit cards for wagering.

Our members support a safe and responsible wagering industry that balances the enjoyment of its products with the need to protect the community. Responsible Wagering Australia has strongly advocated for an end to the ability of Australians to use credit cards as a deposit mechanism for wagering accounts for several years.

Since 2018, online wagering service providers have been prohibited from offering or providing credit to their customers. Today’s announcement is consistent with Responsible Wagering Australia’s view that Australians should only wager with their own funds.

These positive steps by the Government follows our strong advocacy for the prohibition on offering lines of credit to customers implemented via the National Consumer Protection Framework.

Our members have been working collaboratively across the wagering industry and the financial services sector to ensure we can deliver this reform quickly and effectively.
CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia, Mr Kai Cantwell, thanked the Government for their positive engagement on this issue:

“Responsible Wagering Australia is pleased that the Government has listened to calls from our members to strengthen restrictions on wagering with credit”

“Our members have been working with Federal Government and the Financial Services Industry to implement effective credit card bans for wagering since 2021”

“RWA looks forward to partnering with the Government to further discuss sensible, evidence-based measures that provide consumer protections to consumers, at the same time as ensuring the continued enjoyment of online wagering by Australians.”

This practical reform serves to strengthen the measures implemented via the National Consumer Protection Framework for online wagering over the past five years.