BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register recorded 40,160 active self-exclusions at 30 June 2026, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Each of those exclusions blocks one person from every licensed online and phone wagering provider in Australia. BetStop does not apply to online casino games or to other services offered illegally, and it does not reach poker machine venues or casinos.

This guide explains how to register with BetStop, what changes once you have, where the register stops, how to cancel a self-exclusion early and where to complain if a provider breaks the rules. It gives general information and is not legal advice.

What BetStop is and who it applies to

BetStop is a free Australian Government initiative that lets you block yourself from all licensed Australian online and phone gambling providers. It launched on 21 August 2023. The ACMA oversees compliance with the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (the Act) and the Register Rules, and it is the ACMA that acts when a provider fails to follow them.

Registration is all or nothing. You can’t pick individual providers: registering excludes you from every licensed online and phone wagering company in Australia. The list of covered providers is the ACMA’s register of licensed interactive gambling providers. For a plain explanation of the licensing side, see which gambling services are licensed in Australia.

The register works by comparison. A provider checks a customer’s details against BetStop and receives only an answer that the person is excluded. It gets no other information about you.

How to register with BetStop

Registration is for yourself only, and nobody can register on your behalf. BetStop says the process takes about five minutes. The steps below follow the information BetStop publishes in its frequently asked questions.

  1. Go to the BetStop website and start a registration. Have your mobile phone and email address ready.
  2. Prepare one accepted ID document: an Australian driver’s licence, an Australian passport or a Medicare card.
  3. If you have none of these, call the register on 1800 238 786 to arrange another way of confirming your identity.
  4. Choose how long the self-exclusion lasts. The minimum is three months and the maximum is a lifetime.
  5. Optionally name up to five support people.

The register’s own line, 1800 238 786, is different from the National Gambling Helpline covered later in this guide.

The period can be extended at any time, but it can’t be reduced. Support people can be a friend, a family member or anyone else you choose, and you can change them at any time in your account. BetStop tells them how long the exclusion runs. It also tells them if you extend it, if you try to cancel it early, when the end is near and when you are removed from the register.

What happens after you register

Once you have registered, licensed online and phone wagering providers must not open an account for you, accept a bet from you or send you marketing. They must also close any accounts you already hold and refund any credit to you. Providers see only that the person is excluded.

Before your period ends, the register contacts you and asks whether you want to extend it. If you don’t, you are removed when the period runs out. Accounts that providers closed are not reopened, so a person who wants to bet again has to open a new account. You can register again at any time, and the register can remember your details if you choose that option.

What BetStop does not cover

BetStop is defined by two limits: the licence and the channel. It applies to licensed providers of online and phone wagering. On the first limit, BetStop states that it does not apply to online casino games or other gambling services that are illegally provided in Australia. A person who registers is therefore not protected by the register at those services. BetStop points to a different route: you can make a complaint about them to the ACMA.

The register can’t help in that situation. A site that looks Australian is no evidence that it is licensed, so the ACMA’s register of licensed providers, linked above, is the place to check.

The second limit is physical. Poker machine venues and casinos run their own exclusion programs, and these differ depending on where you live. In Victoria, for example, you choose the venues you are excluded from. Gambling Help Online points to the programs for each state and territory.

Those programs are separate from BetStop. BetStop does not replace them and cannot integrate with them, so a person who is on a state register still has to register with BetStop separately. For anything outside online and phone wagering by a licensed provider, ask the register before assuming it applies.

If you or someone close to you is experiencing gambling harm, the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 offers free and confidential support. Gambling Help Online has more information and support options.

How to cancel a self-exclusion early

The period can’t be reduced, but a person can apply to cancel the self-exclusion early once three months have passed. The ACMA and BetStop describe the same process in slightly different words.

  1. Wait until the first three months are over. An application can’t be made earlier.
  2. Discuss the decision with a counsellor or doctor. The register requires this.
  3. Complete a Commonwealth statutory declaration confirming that you have done so, and submit it with your application.
  4. Wait for the removal. A valid application leads to removal from the register after seven days, and you can withdraw it during that time.

Your support people are told about the application. The two official pages differ on who counts as a suitable professional, so check the wording on the application itself.

What the ACMA checks and when providers break the rules

Providers must follow the register rules, and the ACMA investigates when they don’t. On 29 January 2026 it announced that it had finished investigations into six wagering providers. The breaches involved people on the register being allowed to open an account, place a bet or receive marketing. Tabcorp paid $112,680. The breaches dated from 2024.

The ACMA’s Q4 2025–26 report covers the period from the launch to 30 June 2026.

MeasureFigure
Registrations65,430
Active self-exclusions40,160
Completed or cancelled early25,270
Registered for life25,155 (about 38%)
Registered for exactly three months11,784 (about 18%)
Registrants aged 30 or under30,081 (about 46%)

The percentages are calculated from the ACMA tables. More than a third of registrations were for life.

A survey carried out for the regulator by ORIMA and published on 13 November 2025 asked registered people about the effects. Of those people, 77% reported better overall quality of life, 79% reported better mental health and 69% reported better relationships. Some 81% reported that they had stopped betting on sport and racing entirely, and 15% reported that they had cut back. These are self-reports, not measurements.

What changes in 2027

The 2026 gambling reforms include a ban on direct marketing of inducements for three months after a person leaves BetStop, according to a ministerial media release of 18 August 2026. Inducements are offers such as bonus bets. Most of the reforms are due to start on 1 January 2027, according to the Department of Infrastructure. Check the Department’s page for the current start date before relying on it.

Where to complain and where to get help

If a provider lets you bet, open an account or send you marketing while you are registered, make a complaint through the form on the BetStop website. BetStop says complaints about a service that is offered illegally in Australia go to the ACMA. Save the emails and screenshots with their dates, so the order of events is clear.

Other tools sit beside BetStop. Many major banks let you block gambling transactions, and BetStop’s support tools page covers them. A separate guide explains the ban on credit cards for online wagering, and the hub for this section lists other tools and support for gambling harm.

Free support is available. The National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 is free and confidential, and Gambling Help Online can point you to counselling. Lifeline on 13 11 14 supports people in crisis. The National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 helps with money worries, and Gamblers Anonymous is another option.

BetStop covers licensed online and phone wagering and nothing beyond it. Illegally offered casino games, poker machine venues and casinos sit outside the register, so protection there has to be arranged separately.

Common questions about BetStop

Does BetStop cover online casinos and poker machines?

No. According to BetStop, it does not apply to online casino games or other gambling services that are illegally provided in Australia. It also doesn’t cover poker machine venues or casinos, which run their own exclusion programs that differ depending on where you live. Complaints about illegal services go to the ACMA.

How long does BetStop last?

You choose: the minimum is three months and the maximum is a lifetime. You can extend the period at any time, but you can’t reduce it. Before the period ends, the register contacts you and asks whether you want to extend it. If you don’t, you are removed when it runs out.

Can you cancel BetStop before three months?

No. An application to cancel a self-exclusion early can be made only after three months. It needs a Commonwealth statutory declaration that you have discussed the decision with a counsellor or doctor. A valid application leads to removal after seven days, and you can withdraw it during that time.

What ID do you need to register with BetStop?

You need an Australian driver’s licence, an Australian passport or a Medicare card, plus a mobile phone and an email address. Registration takes about five minutes. If you have none of those documents, call the register on 1800 238 786 to arrange another way of confirming your identity.

Can you register someone else with BetStop?

No, you can register only yourself. A person who registers can name you as a support person, and BetStop then tells you about their exclusion period. If you are worried about someone close to you, the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 offers free and confidential support.

What happens to your betting accounts and balance?

Providers must close any accounts you hold and refund any credit to you. While you are registered, they can’t open an account for you, accept a bet or send you marketing. Closed accounts are not reopened when the self-exclusion ends, so a new account would be needed.

What can you do if a provider lets you bet while you are registered?

Make a complaint through the form on the BetStop website. The ACMA has investigated breaches of this kind, and in January 2026 it announced the outcome of six investigations. Keep screenshots and emails with their dates, because they show what happened and when.

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