Australia’s Milestone in Self-Exclusion: A Focus on Young Australians

Australia’s Self-Exclusion Milestone

• Australia reaches a significant milestone with its self-exclusion initiative, achieving 40,000 registrations.
• This program is the first to encompass all states and territories across the country.
• A notable 80% of those registered in the program are individuals under the age of 40.

Australia’s comprehensive self-exclusion program has unveiled its latest statistics for the third quarter of the 2024/2025 fiscal year. Originally launched on August 21, 2023, the initiative has now recorded a total of 40,121 registrations.

BetStop’s Engagement with Young Australians

The reported number of total registrations does not equate to the current number of active participants, as many individuals have either concluded their self-exclusion periods or opted to end them early.

BetStop’s official records reveal that as of March 31, 2025, 27,763 individuals remain actively enrolled, benefiting from the program’s protective measures.

With exclusion periods varying from three months to a lifetime, BetStop allows participants to withdraw their exclusion after a seven-day waiting period, provided a valid application is submitted.

However, any participant wishing to withdraw must first complete a minimum exclusion period of three months. BetStop provides detailed registration data by jurisdiction, covering all eight states and territories within Australia.

New South Wales leads with 12,531 registrations, followed by Victoria with 10,800, and Queensland, which accounts for 8,125 registrations.

While BetStop has not released detailed figures on current enrollees as of March 31, 2025, it has shared demographic insights. Notably, 46% of registrants are under the age of 30.

An additional 32% fall within the 31 to 40 age range, indicating that nearly 80% of all registrations are from individuals under 40, highlighting the program’s impact on a younger demographic.

BetStop also provided data on the exclusion options chosen by registrants. The most popular choices were exclusions ranging from 3 months to 2 years (39%) and the lifetime exclusion option (39%).

Ongoing Research into Problem Gambling in Australia

Among registrants, 17% preferred a 3-month exclusion period, while only 1% opted for exclusions exceeding 5 years. Another 4% selected a 2-5 year exclusion period.

BetStop is widely regarded as a success, although the actual number of problem gamblers in Australia may exceed the 40,000 individuals registered.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released an in-depth report on gambling in Australia on September 7, 2023, suggesting that 45% of Australians aged 18 and over who engage in gambling activities may be classified as at risk according to recent research.