TLDR Australia’s Digital Duty of Care Bill requires age checks for porn sites but not betting sites. The Alliance for Gambling Reform raised the gap at a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young noted there is no website block for people under 18. Advocate Mark Kempster said 75% of 120 schoolboys had bet on sport or searched for odds. Advocates want limits on website access, not just checks at account sign-up.
Teenagers in Australia can open betting websites and view sports odds without passing any age check. Gambling reform advocates have now raised this gap in the Senate.
They want the issue fixed before the Digital Duty of Care Bill becomes law. The bill would place greater duties on digital platforms to prevent harm to users.
The bill requires age verification for people visiting pornographic websites. It does not mention online betting sites at all.
Account Checks Versus Website Access
Betting companies already run some checks when a person opens an account to place wagers. Advocates say this step comes too late, because minors can still browse the sites before that point.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young raised this point during the committee hearing. She accepted that creating a betting account may involve specific checks on the user. However, she noted there is no website block for people under 18.
Hanson-Young also said it is well known that young people take part in online betting. She asked why pornography sites face access limits while betting sites do not, given that both are built for adults.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform brought the matter to the committee on Tuesday as senators reviewed the bill. The group’s petition focuses on teenagers being able to reach betting sites and sports odds, even with extra checks at sign-up.
Alliance