Push for change to online bets

AUSTRALIAN senators have heard impassioned pleas by financial counsellors and gambling reform groups to ban the use of credit cards for online betting.

The use of credit cards for online wagering platforms such as Sportsbet could be banned if the proposed Interactive Gambling Amendment (Prohibition on Credit Car Use) Bill 2020 passes.

A Senate committee heard submissions on Friday as it prepares to hand down its recommendations. Under the Bill, it’s suggested Australia follow the UK, which banned credit cards for all forms of remote wagering last year.

Proponents of the Bill say the ban would ensure problem gamblers didn’t use money they didn’t have and push themselves into debt. Overwhelmingly, stakeholders who fronted the committee on Friday supported the ban.