Interview with Nabil Al-Nashar, ABC Radio National AM

SABRA LANE, HOST: It's been years in the making, and the Federal Government has finally locked in an August start date for a new national register to help problem gamblers block themselves from the attraction of online betting. With a single sign up, people will be able to self-exclude from all 150 licenced interactive gambling providers in Australia. The Government's also introducing a new mandatory verification system which requires betting companies to check someone's identity for a new account before they can place a bet. Political reporter Nabil Al-Nashar has more.

NABIL AL-NASHAR, POLITICAL REPORTER: It's a system dubbed BetStop and it will allow gamblers to exclude themselves from online betting for anywhere from three months to a lifetime.

MICHELLE ROWLAND, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS: This is a game changer because it means that with one touch an individual is able to exclude themselves from these forms of online gambling.

AL-NASHAR: Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland says it means you won't be able to place a bet online or on the phone. Gambling companies will also have to verify customers identity when they register for a new account and before they place any bets, replacing the current requirement to do so only within 72 hours. To help with that, BetStop will rely on new software that can process a million requests per minute.

ROWLAND: What it will mean is that we can ensure that people who are placing a bet, before they place that bet, actually have been verified, including for determining whether they're underage or whether they are self-excluded customers.

AL-NASHAR: Gambling providers will also be banned from sending emails and texts to people who are on the register. Kai Cantwell is CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia which represents betting companies.

KAI CANTWELL, CEO OF RESPONSIBLE WAGERING AUSTRALIA: This has been a couple of years in the making and we've been very supportive with Government on implementing the ten measures of the National Consumer Protection Framework. Pre-verification has been something that Responsible Wagering Australia has been committed to for some time, but this will really bring the entire industry up to the standard that our members already operate on.

AL-NASHAR: Gambling researcher Associate Professor Charles Livingston from Monash University describes BetStop as a solid step forward but questions why it's taken so long.

CHARLES LIVINGSTON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MONASH UNIVERSITY: I mean there's been a system like this in place in Britain for years and this is not highfalutin software, this is reasonably straightforward stuff that exists around the world that should have been implemented at least five years ago.

AL-NASHAR: And he cautions more needs to be done to tackle the problem of online gambling.

LIVINGSTON: It's going to help some people who are already in horrendous trouble and that's great, but it's not going to stop people getting into trouble and it's certainly not going to stop the bookies recruiting new young gamblers who unfortunately a fair proportion of whom will end up with serious difficulties.

AL-NASHAR: BetStop will be operated by software company IXUP and regulated by the Australian Communication and Media Authority. The Federal Government says BetStop is expected to cost $40 million to build and operate and will be paid for by a levy on wagering service providers.