Australia: Advocates Demand Stricter Age Verification for Online Betting

A significant political movement is gaining momentum in Australia, potentially reshaping the digital landscape for online bookmakers. Gambling reform advocates are putting pressure on senators to amend the Digital Duty of Care Bill, claiming the current draft contains a dangerous loophole. While the legislation plans to enforce strict age verification for accessing adult content like pornography, online betting sites are currently omitted from these specific requirements. This discrepancy is seen as a failure to protect minors from the pervasive influence of gambling.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform raised these concerns during a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday. The core issue lies in the accessibility of betting platforms; teenagers can easily browse sites and view sports odds without any prior identity check. Although a verification process is mandatory for opening an account and placing wagers, advocates argue that this is a case of 'too little, too late.' They demand that the law require websites to be blocked for users under 18 before they can even reach the landing page.

Numbers and facts

Practical observations from schools highlight the severity of the situation. Mark Kempster, an advocate and former problem gambler, shared his findings from a recent visit to a high school. When he surveyed a group of 120 teenage boys, approximately 75 percent admitted to having placed a bet on a sporting event or at least searched for sports betting odds. Kempster noted that he has encountered nearly 30 individuals under the age of 18 this year who are already exhibiting signs of gambling-related harm.

Sunita Bose, chief executive of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, made a direct comparison between the risks associated with gambling and pornography during the hearing. She argued that both are adult services requiring similar levels of protection to keep children away.

"Online betting involves risks that are very similar to those involved in pornography. Both are adult services that have similar demands in order to prevent kids from gaining access to them." - Sunita Bose, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young supported this stance, noting that it is common knowledge that young people are engaging with online betting content. She questioned the logic of restricting pornography websites while leaving betting sites, which are equally intended for adults, accessible without barriers.

Background

The Digital Duty of Care Bill aims to impose greater obligations on digital platforms to prevent online harms. At present, the draft focuses heavily on sexually explicit material but ignores the broader iGaming and sports wagering industry. Proponents of the reform want online gambling services to be explicitly included in the bill's language. This inclusion would force providers to utilize the latest age verification technologies before a user can view any content on their platforms.

Currently, bookmakers rely on the fact that verification happens during account registration. However, activists argue that the harm begins with the constant exposure to odds and gambling marketing. The technology for pre-access age verification already exists and is used in other regulated sectors. The Australian government must now decide whether to implement a holistic approach to child safety or continue providing the betting industry with a unique exemption.

Why it matters for German players

For German players, this debate reflects the stringent regulations already in place under the Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021). Germany already maintains high standards for youth protection. While Australia debates website blocks, Germany has implemented systems like LUGAS (the central cross-state gambling supervision system) and OASIS. These systems ensure that strict deposit limits of 1,000 euros per month and a 1-euro stake limit per spin on online slots are enforced.

A German user cannot participate in any gambling activity without immediate, legally compliant identification and authentication. The Australian demands highlight that German regulation by the GGL (Joint Gambling Authority of the States) has already addressed many of these hurdles. Nevertheless, the accessibility of pure web portals without logging in remains a topic of interest, as any potential EU-wide moves toward Australian-style pre-access verification could impact how landing pages are structured in the future.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

Operators with a German GGL license will not see immediate changes, but the international trend is moving toward zero tolerance regarding the visibility of gambling content to minors. Whitelisted casinos must already be extremely careful with their marketing. If the standard of age verification before website access gains traction, German providers might need to technical adapt their landing pages. This could mean that even bonuses or odds are hidden behind a digital ID check. GGL-licensed casinos have an advantage here as they already have established interfaces with verification providers, unlike many offshore operators from Malta (MGA) or Curacao.