source: pixabay.comIn Australian gambling news, it looks as though a ban on credit card gambling may be imminent after Queensland MP Andrew Wallace said he has secured the support of the big four Australian banks.
Wallace has been campaigning for a ban on credit gambling online since last month. However, this has been met with stiff opposition from Australia’s local gambling body.
It is not possible to gamble in casinos and gaming lounges, as well as withdrawals from nearby ATMs using credit cards. However, there are no restrictions to online gambling.
The Queensland MP and representatives from the National Australian Bank (NAB), Westpac, Australia, and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), and the Commonwealth Bank, along with the ABA, all agreed on the need for change. Wallace said:
“[The banks] would be very happy for the government to legislate, I’m getting some advice on what that legislative change might look like, and I’ll be taking that to my colleagues over the next couple of weeks.”
The banks said that they were able to place gambling blocks on credit cards and would continue to work with the government on any changes implemented.
The move is expected to follow last year’s banning of credit cards for gambling in the UK, with similar legislature aimed for
However, Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), has said that there is no evidence for concern. Brent Jackson, RWA chief executive, said:
“The only opposition we’ve seen to people using their credit card for online betting — or to buy scratchies at their local newsagent — is from people who have a moral opposition to gambling,”
Mr Wallace called the change a “no-brainer.”
