Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, has welcomed the Federal Government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023 to legislate a ban on the use of credit cards and credit related products for online wagering.
“I have long campaigned for gambling harm minimisation measures to be introduced and this piece of legislation to ban the use of credit cards for online gambling is a wonderful step forward,” Mr Wilkie said.
“The fact that online gamblers have been allowed to use borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates is unfathomable. This ban will stop people gambling with money that they don’t actually have, which brings it in line with land-based gambling laws where credit cards are banned from casinos, poker machines and TAB outlets. This is to be applauded.
“Australians experience the world’s biggest gambling losses per capita, with an estimated $25 billion lost during 2018-19. The impacts of online gambling can be devastating. I’ve heard countless stories about the toll it has had on people’s finances, relationships, employment and mental wellbeing. Although the proportion of online gamblers using credit cards is in the minority, they include a disproportionate number of gambling addicts and are the people most in need of harm minimisation measures like this.
“There is strong public support for gambling reform that genuinely minimises the human cost of gambling addiction. This Bill is a step forward in reducing gambling harm, but there is still a way to go. The Government must now look towards implementing all 31 recommendations from the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs Inquiry, including banning gambling advertising altogether. Moreover gambling companies must be linked in real time to ensure that daily loss limits are effective across all apps.”