Betting is the highest form of gambling. Wagering your money on games, sports, and other events can be enthralling. But, it also has a flip side. The less mentioned and less addressed side of betting is gambling addiction. Also called gambling disorder or compulsive gambling, it is an uncontrollable urge to bet your money on something even though it will have a huge toll on your life and savings.
The best tool against gambling addiction is self-exclusion. However, it takes immense mind strength and determination to exclude yourself from gambling. To aid you in this journey, several gambling providers offer you numerous self-exclusion tools. But, if you ever have a change of mind, there are umpteen ways to bypass these tools and continue gambling.
Recently, the Australian government launched “BetStop”, a national self-exclusion register that would prevent you from accessing any online betting site. Till now, thousands of Australians have registered on BetStop, signifying the great underlying problem of gambling addiction. This article will guide you on how to register on BetStop and help you understand more about the initiative.
What Is Self-Exclusion?
Self-exclusion or voluntary exclusion is a free program where you can request to be banned from participating in gaming or betting in betting venues or online gambling sites. The legally operating betting arena will take heed of your request and ban you for a limited time as per your request to help you control your gambling obsession. Self-exclusion is the first step you must take if you ever feel that you have become addicted to gambling. However, not everyone might realize they have a gambling problem. Consider self-exclusion if you have any of the issues mentioned below:
- Thinking about gambling all the time.
- Borrowing money from friends/family for gambling.
- Gambling money that you cannot afford to lose.
- Spending hours on gambling establishments and betting sites.
- If you have to lie about gambling to your friends/family.
- If you tend to steal money for gambling purposes.
- Have relationship problems.
- If you are known to have addictive tendencies.
- If you feel like you don’t have enough time to spend with your family/friends.
Self-exclusion is highly effective in curing your obsessive gambling. However, the decision has to come from your mind and should be forced upon you. Many gambling providers offer a variety of self-exclusion programs. However, most of these providers might not be legally registered and are often lenient in terms of the exclusion period. Due to the rise in gambling addiction, the Australian Government decided to take matters into its own hands and started the “BetStop” initiative as a one-time registration process to help mitigate the issue of excessive gambling.
BetStop – The National Self-Exclusion Register
BetStop is a secure and free self-exclusion program that aims to help people combat gambling addiction. It is an Australian Government initiative launched in 2023 that allows you to exclude yourself from all licensed wagering companies. Australia has been forever fighting the gambling addiction problem and year after year, the number of excessive gamblers keeps on increasing. By launching the BetStop initiative, the Australian Government made it mandatory for all betting establishments operating under the law to promote BetStop and to place taglines such as “Gamble Responsibly” on their websites. The initiative covers all online and telephone betting establishments.
All wagering services providers registered under the Australian Government and operating on Australian shores should mandatorily promote BetStop and provide help to obsessive gamblers. This includes establishments like online casinos, sports betting sites, gambling apps, and any games involving gambling. With a single interaction, the Australians can self-exclude for a minimum of three months. While many gambling sites charge a fee for self-exclusion, BetStop is completely free of charge and is easy to register.
How Does BetStop Work?
BetStop is the final measure of the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering that has been implemented for the protection of online gamblers. The first two measures include consistent gambling messaging and training for wagering staff. It is important to note that BetStop only covers all licensed Australian online or phone wagering providers. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has listed the names of the wagering providers on their website, which are covered by BetStop.
BetStop is regulated by ACMA and is operated by the technology company IXUP Limited. It was rigorously tested by the company before the launch to ensure a safe and trusted environment for gamblers. To initiate the process, you need to first register on BetStop’s official website (www.betstop.gov.au). The registration process is fast and straightforward. All you have to do is enter your mobile number, email address, and proof of identity.
After registration, all the wagering providers registered in Australia are forbidden from:
- Opening a new gambling account for you.
- Letting you place bets.
- Sending you any kind of marketing material related to gambling.
If you have registered with BetStop, your name and other details will be added to the self-exclusion register. If you ever try to open a betting account with any of the wagering providers, they can check the details you entered with the details provided to BetStop. If the details match, BetStop intimates to the wagering provider that the customer has opted for self-exclusion and prevents them from opening an account for you.
Along with BetStop, the Australian government has also implemented a mandatory customer pre-verification, which requires all wagering providers to verify a customer’s identity when they register for a new account and before they can place a bet. This information will replace the existing information to confirm a customer’s identity within 72 hours. This increases the protection for customers registered under BetStop, underage gamers, and other citizens.
Self-Exclusion Periods On BetStop
While registering for an account on BetStop, you need to mention the duration of your self-exclusion. The minimum period for self-exclusion is three months. You can also choose between 6 months or 1 year. You can also opt for lifetime self-exclusion. However, choosing lifetime self-exclusion will have you permanently banned from betting on all the gambling sites mentioned by ACMA.
You can also set custom self-exclusion time while registering for an account on BetStop. The minimum time limit is 3 months, but there is no maximum time limit while opting for custom self-exclusion time. After creating an account and opting for exclusion, you will be banned from all the Australasian registered betting sites within a time frame of 5 minutes. Once the process is initiated, it can’t be reversed. Trying to create fake accounts will lead to legal issues and penalties.
Once the exclusion period ends, BetStop will let you know. However, you can extend your exclusion period at any time. The minimum exclusion period is three months with no upper limit. After the exclusion period ends, you will be permanently removed from BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register. You can re-register at any time if you think your gambling addiction has not gone down. When re-registered, you will be once again excluded from all wagering providers till the time stipulated by you.
How To Register In BetStop?
BetStop is a one-time registration process that excludes you from all the wagering providers, both online and telephone gambling providers, for a lifetime or a specific period. The registration process is simple, lightning-fast, and comes into effect within a few minutes. You only need to provide a few of your basic information to register in BetStop. It is important to note that BetStop is exclusively for Australian citizens for self-exclusion from Australian registered wagering providers.
To register on BetStop, you need access to your mobile phone, access to your email account inbox, and proof of identity (Medicare card/driver’s license from an Australian state or territory). Follow these simple steps to register for an account on BetStop:
- Access the website www.betstop.gov.au.
- Click on the “Register Now” button to start the registration process.
- Read the instructions regarding the documents required and the self-exclusion initiative clearly before proceeding forward.
- Click on the “Register Now” button on the lower right side of the website.
- Read the terms regarding how the information you provided will be used by BetStop and click on “I agree” to proceed.
- Select your desired exclusion period.
- Select between 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, or lifetime, or set a custom exclusion period and click on “Next” to proceed to the next step.
- Enter your email address.
- Create a strong password for your BetStop account.
- Click on “Create your account” to register from an account.
- A verification email will be sent to your email address. Click on the link to verify your email address.
- Once you successfully log into your account you will be prompted to upload a photo of your proof of identity (Medicare card/driver’s license from an Australian state or territory).
- You can also choose to nominate 5 support people who can help you in your journey to combat gambling addiction.
- Once the registration process is complete, you will receive a confirmation email to your registered email address.
Support Others on BetStop
Self-exclusion is the biggest step one can take to mitigate gambling addiction. People who have decided to end their compulsive gambling will need all the support they need. BetStop allows you to nominate up to 5 support nominees while registering on it. As someone’s support person, BetStop will contact you to let you know that:
- If the person has canceled their self-exclusion early.
- If the person has extended their self-exclusion.
- When that person’s self-exclusion is about to end.
- If that person has decided to remove you as their support person.
- How long that person has excluded themselves from accessing online and phone wagering providers?
However, if you do not wish to be disturbed or do not want to continue as someone’s support person, you can discontinue at any time.
Support Tools Offered By BetStop
Apart from self-exclusion, BetStop and ACMA provide a slew of other gambling support tools to help players manage their obsession with gambling.
The Bottom Line
Much like alcohol and drugs, gambling is an activity that triggers the secretion of dopamine in your brain. This stimulates your brain’s reward system and can cause addiction. Similar to alcohol and drugs, gambling addictions are also characterized by increasing tolerance that requires more gambling as time goes by. Accepting gambling as an addiction and realizing it is a source of all your mental and financial troubles is the first and foremost thing to do when you decide to combat gambling addiction.
There has been a huge rise in gambling addiction in Australia. BetStop is an initiative started by the Australian Government that has been fruitful since the day it was launched. Thousands of Australians have registered on BestStop to help them combat gambling addiction. While BetStop is not a one-stop solution to all gambling addiction, it has certainly helped the government to provide help to those in need. Gambling is fun, but, you need to be very careful with it as it involves money and can severely affect your mental state. So, gamble responsibly and only wager money that you can afford to lose.
FAQs
No, you cannot exclude yourself from certain wagering providers. BetStop is a one-step process that excludes you from all the wagering providers, including online and telephone wagering providers, that are registered under Australian laws. You can, however, customize your self-exclusion period.
No, you can specify the time till which you need to self-exclude from the wagering provider. You will not be allowed to access the wagering provider until the specified period is over. However, if you opt for lifetime self-exclusion, the process is permanent and cannot be reversed.
If you opt for BetStop while you still have funds in your account, the wagering provider will return your money to your registered bank account/source of the money. If you have any pending bets, the wagering providers are advised to wait until the bets are settled. After that, the rest of the amount will be transferred back to you. You won’t be able to place new bets if registered under BetStop.
The minimum self-exclusion period limit is three months, within which you cannot reduce your self-exclusion period. However, after the three-month minimum limit, you can request to reduce your self-exclusion. The exclusion period will only be reduced if you include a statutory declaration that confirms that you have received counseling. You can extend your self-exclusion period to as long as you want at any time.
No, once you have registered on BetStop for self-exclusion, all your accounts must be closed by wagering providers permanently. If you want to start gambling again when your self-exclusion period ends, you will have to open a new gambling account at the wagering provider.
BetStop – The National Self-Exclusion Register covers all licensed Australian online or phone wagering providers. The list of providers recognized by BetSoft is provided on the ACMA’s official website. However, it does not include in-venue gambling (casinos, pokies machines, slots, or TAB outlets) or illegal services such as online casinos).
Read More: What Are The Top Tips For Responsible Gambling?
