The National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering, or NCPF, is the set of 10 minimum consumer protections that every licensed online wagering provider in Australia must give its customers, whichever state or territory issued the licence. The Commonwealth, states and territories agreed it in November 2018, and its measures took effect between February 2018 and August 2023, ending with BetStop on 21 August 2023.
These online wagering consumer protections sit in different laws. The Commonwealth looks after four of them, through ACMA under the Interactive Gambling Act and through AUSTRAC for identity checks, and the states and territories enforce the other six through their own laws and licences. That split decides where a complaint goes.
The 10 measures at a glance
| Measure | What the provider must do | In effect | Regulated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. No lines of credit | Not provide credit to customers, with limited exemptions | 17 February 2018 | ACMA |
| 2. Payday lenders | Not market payday loans, refer customers to a lender or pass their details on | 17 February 2018 | ACMA |
| 3. Customer verification | Confirm who you are before you can bet | 26 February 2019, updated 2 May 2022 and 29 September 2023 | AUSTRAC |
| 4. Restrictions on inducements | Offer nothing to get you to open an account or refer someone | 26 May 2019 (NSW 26 November 2019) | States and territories |
| 5. Account closure | Make closing an account prominent and simple | 26 May 2019 (NSW 26 November 2019) | States and territories |
| 6. Deposit limits | Offer binding limits and prompt for one at sign-up | 26 May 2019 | States and territories |
| 7. Activity statements | Send a monthly statement to active accounts | 31 July 2022 | States and territories |
| 8. Consistent gambling messaging | Use the national safer gambling messages | 30 March 2023 | States and territories |
| 9. Staff training | Train staff in the responsible service of online wagering | 30 March 2023 | States and territories |
| 10. BetStop | Exclude anyone on the national self-exclusion register | 21 August 2023 | ACMA |
Note: Checked 7 October 2026; general information, not legal advice. The framework sets minimums, so a state or territory can add stricter rules, which the guides under the Australian betting laws hub cover.
Credit and payday loans are off the table
A provider cannot lend you money to bet, and it cannot steer you to someone who will. Under measure 2 it must not advertise small amount credit contracts on its website, refer you to a credit provider to fund your betting, or give your information to one. The same rule binds its affiliated organisations and related companies.
Since 11 June 2024 a separate Commonwealth ban, covered in the credit card betting ban guide, has also stopped online and phone wagering providers accepting credit cards, credit-linked digital wallets or digital currency such as cryptocurrency.
Identity checks come before your first bet
The allowed delay for verifying a new customer has shrunk from 90 days to 14 days to 72 hours, and since 29 September 2023 verification must be finished before you can place a bet. An account found to belong to someone under 18 must be closed on the spot, with all deposits returned, and winnings stay locked until identity is verified. The account verification guide covers the documents providers ask for.
Bonus bets, joining offers and marketing consent
Measure 4 bans offering any credit, voucher, reward or other benefit as an incentive to open an account or to refer someone else to open one. In a state or territory that allows inducements only through an approved loyalty program, nothing outside that program may be offered. The same measure sets three rules you can use:
- Winnings from a bonus bet must be withdrawable without any turnover requirement.
- Direct marketing may go only to customers who have given express consent.
- Every marketing message needs a working unsubscribe, and marketing must stop once you ask.
Example: Illustrative. A $15 stake-not-returned bonus bet at $3.40 that wins pays winnings of 15 x (3.40 - 1) = $36. Under measure 4 that $36 must be withdrawable without being bet through again, while the bonus bet's own conditions, such as minimum odds or expiry, come from the bookmaker's terms.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A bonus bet that loses pays nothing, and none of the 10 measures limits how much a bet can lose: a deposit limit caps what you put in, and every dollar inside it can still be lost. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
The sign-up bonus guide explains why Australian providers cannot offer joining bonuses, and the inducement rules guide covers the state laws layered on top. The 2026 gambling reforms add a layer from a day the Minister sets, which must fall after 1 January 2027. Providers must then stop direct-marketing inducements to accounts in their first 14 days, people recently off BetStop and customers flagged as at risk.
Deposit limits and closing an account
Under measure 6 every provider must offer deposit limits and prompt you to set one when you sign up. A limit binds the provider: it must not accept a deposit above it. Periods include daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly, and you can set or change a limit through any channel you bet through, or in writing.
A decrease applies immediately, but an increase must not apply until 7 days after the day the provider received the request. You are also prompted to review your limit at least once a year.
Example: Illustrative. You have a weekly deposit limit of $150. On 12 October you ask to raise it to $400. The provider must not apply the increase until 7 days after the day it received the request, so 19 October is the earliest. Until then the $150 limit still binds: a limit cannot be raised on the spot. Had you asked to cut the limit to $80, that change would apply straight away.
Measure 5 covers leaving. The closure process must be prominent, simple and available through the channels you bet through, plus email and phone. It starts as soon as the provider receives your request, and the account closes once your bets have settled. The provider may explain what closing means and ask you to confirm, but it must not entice you to stay or market to you after closure.
The deposit limits guide covers choosing a limit, and the account closure guide walks through the steps.
Monthly activity statements
Measure 7 requires a statement by email every month while your account is active, meaning it has had a transaction in that period. It must show the amount spent, wins and losses, the number of bets, your net result, opening and closing balances, deposits and withdrawals, and a graph of the last 6 months, with links to support services. Losses appear in red and wins in black, never green, and the statement carries no marketing.
You can also get a statement at any time online or on request, and providers must keep your transaction records available for at least 7 years, closed accounts included. If you hold accounts with several providers, add their statements together: each one shows only that provider's share of your result. The activity statements guide shows how to read one line by line.
Safer gambling messages and staff training
Measure 8 puts the same safer gambling messages everywhere a provider talks to you: in your account window, on its website and app, in direct marketing, in print and broadcast ads, and in sponsorships. Seven national taglines became mandatory on 30 March 2023, replacing the older generic tagline.
Websites and apps may use six of them, including "Chances are you're about to lose." and "What are you prepared to lose today? Set a deposit limit." They sit beside the call to action "For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au".
Measure 9, in force from the same date, requires everyone involved in providing a wagering service, or able to influence it, to complete training in the responsible service of online wagering. New staff must do it within a month of starting and before dealing with customers, a refresher follows every year, and the industry pays for it.
BetStop, the tenth measure
BetStop is a free Australian Government register, launched on 21 August 2023. Registering once shuts you out of every licensed Australian provider that takes bets online or by phone, and you cannot pick and choose among them. Those providers must close your accounts and must not let you bet, open an account or send you marketing.
An exclusion runs from 3 months up to a lifetime; you can extend it at any time but not shorten it, and you register yourself. It does not cover betting in person at a venue.
Removal works differently from 1 January 2027, and the BetStop guide sets out the old and new processes with their dates.
Where to complain if a measure is breached
| Problem | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Credit offered by a provider, or a provider missing from ACMA's register | ACMA |
| A provider letting you bet, opening an account or marketing to you while you are on BetStop | ACMA |
| Deposit limits, statements, account closure, sign-up offers, marketing consent, messaging or staff training | The provider first, then its licensing authority as listed on ACMA's register |
The process for the last row depends on the licensing authority. With a provider licensed in the Northern Territory, for example, you first try to resolve it with the operator and ask for a dispute reference number. Then you refer it to the NT Wagering Commission within 60 days of becoming aware of the issue (late complaints only within 2 years). That commission cannot investigate account restrictions, accounts the operator closed, compensation claims or customer service disputes.
The complaints guide covers the other authorities and their time limits.
Mistakes and gaps to know about
| Assumption | What actually applies |
|---|---|
| A deposit limit at one bookmaker covers your other accounts | Limits apply per provider, so each account needs its own |
| A bookmaker's own self-exclusion is the same as BetStop | They are separate programs, and BetStop needs its own registration |
| Any regulator can take any complaint | Credit, in-play betting, BetStop and unlisted providers go to ACMA; the rest go to the licensing authority |
| An offshore site gives the same protections | The Government notes illegal operators sit outside BetStop, identity pre-verification and the credit card ban |
| The framework limits losses or stops account restrictions | No measure caps stakes or losses, and none stops a provider restricting or closing an account under its terms |
The framework also stops at the counter: it covers betting by internet, phone and other remote means, so cash bets over a counter and betting terminals at a venue are outside it. Self-exclusion from venues is separate too: BetStop's own site points to exclusion programs for venues with poker machines and casinos, which differ by where you live (checked October 2026).