Clamp on online bookies

PUNTERS who gamble online will be forced to bet with their own money under a major crackdown on problem gambling, which will stop bookmakers offering lines of credit.

Federal and state governments will also work together to stop online bookies using free bets and inducements to entice punters to keep gambling.

Major reforms to the $1.4 billion online gambling industry, agreed to last night, include a national self-exclusion register so gamblers can block themselves from betting with all bookmakers.

And online bookmakers will have to offer a voluntary pre-commitment scheme for punters to set their own limits.

Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said the “practical, measured initiatives” could be in place by the end of the year.

“The problems of the future are going to come from the online environment unless we take some sensible action now,” Mr Tudge said.

He said the betting industry realised they “need to act more responsibly” and Responsible Wagering Australia, which represents online bookmakers, welcomed the changes.

Mr Tudge said banning lines of credit had been a goal of his since a constituent was given $80,000 in credit by a bookmaker.

The man lost it all over a weekend and the bookmaker tried to seize his house to recoup the money.