The National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering is a set of minimum protections agreed by the Commonwealth and every state and territory in November 2018. The Department of Social Services describes it as 10 measures; the last of them, the BetStop self-exclusion register, began on 21 August 2023, and the government has said all measures are now in place.
- Agreed by the Commonwealth, states and territories in November 2018 and applied to all licensed online wagering providers.
- Lines of credit prohibited and payday-lender links discouraged from 17 February 2018; BetStop added as the final measure on 21 August 2023.
- Activity statements must be free and monthly, with losses in red and wins in black, and records kept for at least 7 years (VGCCC).
- The framework applies to licensed wagering. Offshore online casinos are outside it and are not bound by any of its measures.
On this page
What the framework is
The framework is a policy agreement, not a single statute. Governments agreed on a common floor of consumer protections for online wagering, meaning sports and race betting, and each jurisdiction then gave effect to the parts within its power. Some measures are Commonwealth law, such as BetStop under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and identity verification through AUSTRAC's anti-money laundering rules. Others sit in state and territory instruments. In Victoria, for example, the requirements are given effect by two Harm Minimisation Directions issued to wagering service providers, and the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) monitors six of the measures for wagering offered to Victorians, according to the VGCCC framework page.
The Department of Social Services gambling reforms page describes the framework as 10 measures and lists an implementation date for each. Documents from different years group some of the obligations differently. The 2019 baseline study, for example, describes the deposit limit measure as a voluntary opt-out pre-commitment scheme on an operator basis, while the current DSS page says every provider must offer deposit limits that cannot be increased on the spot. The table below therefore lists the obligations as they now apply, rather than assigning measure numbers.
The measures, one by one
| Measure | What licensed providers must do | In place from |
|---|---|---|
| No lines of credit | Must not lend money to bet with (limited on-course exception) | 17 February 2018 |
| Payday lenders | Links with payday lenders discouraged | 17 February 2018 |
| Customer verification | Verify identity when an account is opened and before a bet is placed; regulated by AUSTRAC rules | 26 February 2019, updated 2 May 2022 and 29 September 2023 |
| Deposit limits | Offer deposit limits; new customers set a limit or opt out; a limit cannot be raised on the spot | 26 May 2019 |
| Inducements | No credit, vouchers or rewards as inducements; free bets only if winnings can be withdrawn | State laws agreed before 26 May 2019 |
| Direct marketing | Only with consent; easy unsubscribe; no rewards for consenting | Per state instrument |
| Account closure | Simple closure process; no rewards to keep an account open | Per state instrument |
| Activity statements | Free monthly statements; transaction history available | 31 July 2022 |
| Consistent gambling messaging | Prescribed taglines on advertising and statements | 30 March 2023 |
| Staff training | Responsible service of wagering training for relevant staff | 30 March 2023 |
| BetStop | National self-exclusion register; providers must check it and close registered accounts | 21 August 2023 |
Sources: DSS gambling reforms page; VGCCC framework page; the ministerial release on the launch of BetStop. The DSS 2019 baseline study sets out the original wording.
What the detail looks like in practice
The state instruments are more specific than the headline list. The VGCCC page summarises the Victorian requirements as follows.
- Inducements. Providers must not offer credit, vouchers or other rewards to an account holder as an inducement, and must not offer free bets unless the winnings from that bet can be withdrawn.
- Direct marketing. No direct marketing without consent, an easy unsubscribe, nothing sent after unsubscribing, and no rewards offered to get consent. New customers must be able to open an account without having to consent to marketing or take extra steps to opt out.
- Deposit limits. Simple tools and clear processes to set a limit; no deposit that would breach a limit; new customers must set a limit or actively opt out.
- Activity statements. Free monthly statements, with the previous month always accessible and access to transactions going back at least 7 years. Losses must be shown in red text and graphs, wins in black, and green must not be used anywhere. Free and bonus bets are shown separately, and losses on free bets are excluded from the net figure.
- Staff training. Initial training in the first month of employment, refreshed within 12 months and every year after, with records kept for at least 7 years.
- Messaging. Advertising carries one of the prescribed taglines, such as Chances are you're about to lose, and What are you prepared to lose today? Set a deposit limit.
In Victoria, failing to comply with the Directions is an offence that may attract a penalty of up to 60 penalty units, according to the VGCCC.
Who is covered, and who is not
The framework applies to licensed online wagering providers: bookmakers and totalisators licensed by an Australian state or territory to take bets online or by phone. Phone betting is therefore inside the framework as well as app and website accounts; BetStop, for instance, excludes a registered person from both channels at once. It does not apply to offshore online casinos, for a simple reason. Under section 15 of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, online casino games and online pokies cannot lawfully be offered to people in Australia at all, so there is no Australian licence for those operators to hold and no Australian regulator setting conditions for them. The Act targets the operator; it does not make it an offence for an individual to play, but it leaves the player outside every protection described above. The legal background is set out on the Australian gambling law page.
Side by side: licensed wagering versus an offshore casino account
The comparison below sets the framework obligation against the legal position of an offshore casino. It describes what Australian law requires, not the practice of any particular site. Some offshore operators offer their own limits and self-exclusion tools under a foreign licence, but those are set by the operator and its overseas regulator, not by Australian law.
| Protection | Licensed Australian wagering | Offshore online casino |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card and crypto deposits | Banned since 11 June 2024 under s 15C | Not covered by s 15C; the service itself is prohibited under s 15 |
| BetStop self-exclusion | Must check the register and close accounts | Not connected to BetStop |
| Deposit limits | Must be offered at sign-up | Not required by Australian law |
| Inducements | Restricted; free bet winnings must be withdrawable | Not restricted by Australian law |
| Monthly activity statements | Required, with prescribed colours and taglines | Not required by Australian law |
| Complaints | State or territory regulator | Only the operator's foreign licensing body, if any |
The inducement row is the sharpest contrast. Deposit-matched welcome offers of the kind advertised by offshore casino sites are exactly the kind of reward the framework restricts for licensed wagering. How those offers work, including the wagering requirements attached to them, is explained on the welcome bonuses page.
What is changing from 1 January 2027
The framework was always described as a floor, and the debate since 2022 has been about raising it. On 15 September 2022 the federal Parliament began an inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on people experiencing gambling harm. Its report made 31 recommendations, among them a national harm-reduction strategy, national regulation, an online gambling ombudsman, a harm-reduction levy on online wagering providers, a public education campaign, more independent research and better data collection. The Commonwealth released its response on 5 May 2026, according to the VGCCC. Some of the resulting changes are now law.
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026, assented to on 26 August 2026, moves several framework topics into Commonwealth law from 1 January 2027.
- Inducements. A new Part bars licensed providers from sending messages or making calls that offer inducements to certain customers, from placing inducement advertising on social media for those customers, and from paying commissions linked to customer activity.
- Advertising. Wagering advertising is restricted during live sport coverage, on radio at school drop-off and pick-up times, on sporting uniforms and venues, and through athletes and celebrities, with exceptions for racing-dedicated services.
- Opt-out register. A Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register lets an individual stop online wagering advertising across participating online content services.
- BetStop. Higher penalties, a 7-day deadline to close a registered person's account and a confirmation step before anyone leaves the register. Details are in the BetStop explainer.
None of these changes extends the framework to offshore casinos. Instead, the same Act aims at them from another direction, by obliging internet, search, app and payment providers to disrupt illegal gambling services from 2027.
Using the protections that exist
For licensed wagering, the framework gives a person real levers: a deposit limit that cannot be lifted on impulse, monthly statements that show net losses plainly, and BetStop to close every licensed account at once. None of those levers exists by law at an offshore casino. Free, confidential help is available from Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858; more resources are on the responsible gambling page.
Questions readers ask
What is the National Consumer Protection Framework?
It is a set of minimum consumer protections for online wagering agreed by the Commonwealth, states and territories in November 2018. DSS describes it as 10 measures, ending with the BetStop register in August 2023.
Does the framework apply to online casinos?
No. It applies to licensed online wagering providers. Online casino games cannot lawfully be offered to people in Australia, so offshore casinos hold no Australian licence and are not bound by the framework.
What must a monthly activity statement show?
According to the VGCCC, statements must be free and monthly, show losses in red and wins in black, avoid green, carry gambling harm taglines, and show free and bonus bets separately.
Can a bookmaker let me raise my deposit limit straight away?
No. The Department of Social Services says every provider must offer deposit limits and that they cannot be increased on the spot.
Who enforces the framework?
Commonwealth parts are enforced by the ACMA and AUSTRAC; other measures are enforced by state and territory regulators such as the VGCCC in Victoria.
Sources
Every figure and date in this article comes from the documents below; we re-check them when a source changes.
- Department of Social Services — Gambling reforms
- DSS — National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering: Baseline study
- VGCCC — National Consumer Protection Framework
- Minister for Social Services — Albanese Government officially launches BetStop
- Interactive Gambling Act 2001, Compilation No. 24 (Federal Register of Legislation)
- Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026
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