From tomorrow, sports-betting companies will be prohibited from directly marketing online services to customers unless they opt in and will no longer be allowed to hand out "free bets" that require punters to continue gambling with the winnings, under Australia-first laws to be rolled out in Victoria.
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The Andrews government will roll out the tougher regulations targetting online gambling following an agreement struck two years ago by state and federal gaming ministers on a series of harm-reduction measures.
Under the rules, known as the National Consumer Protection Framework, online bookmakers such as Sportsbet, TAB, BetEasy and Ladbrokes will be prohibited from offering punters credit, vouchers or other rewards for encouraging others to open betting accounts.
The operators will also be prohibited from providing so-called "free bets" to customers on the condition that the winnings cannot be withdrawn and must be used to continue betting.
Other measures include a ban on direct marketing promotions such as via text messaging unless customers opt in to receive them, and new rules requiring operators to provide "easy-to-use tools" for punters to set their own gambling limits or close their accounts.
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Victoria is the first state to sign up to the national framework because it offers greater protection to people who gamble online and gives them practical steps to better manage their gambling."
No timeframe has yet been set for when they will be introduced in other Australian states and territories.
"Victoria is the only state that's got its act together," said one wagering industry insider. "NSW is very far behind."
Although Australians lose less money betting on sport ($1.06 billion a year) and racing ($3.3 billion) than they do on poker machines or casino games ($17 billion combined), online wagering has become the fastest-growing form of gambling nationally, surging in popularity by more than 15 per cent a year.
Considering gaming machines in the Bendigo collect signficant profits, the more that can be done to slow online wagering the better.
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