The role of the license in ensuring age limits
Without a licence, an operator cannot legally offer gambling in Australia. It is the licensing conditions and control of regulators that ensure that all customers are at least 18 years old.
1. Licensing requirements by age
1. Interactive Gambling Act 2001
Federal law requires the inclusion in the license of the condition: "verification of age ≥ 18 years to any interactive services."
2. State and Territory Licences
Each state/territory complements federal requirements: sanctions are prescribed for the admission of minors, control procedures and fines.
2. License Terms: KYC and DVS
Applicable Customer Identification Procedures (ACIP)
- Complete KYC prior to registration or first bid.
Document Verification Service (DVS)
- Synchronous API request when loading passport/rights, mandatory for all licenses.
Biometrics and banking
- Link to AUSTRAC banking API and selfie verification under license.
3. Mandatory BetStop integration
Self-Exclusion Register Act 2019
- The license requires checking each client with the national register of self-exclusion (BetStop).
Marketing ban
- Self-excluded persons are prohibited from offering any gambling products.
4. Audits and reporting
1. Regular ACMA checks
The licensee is obliged to provide logs of verification, refusals and cases of minors on a quarterly basis.
2. Unscheduled inspections
In case of complaints or risks, the regulator can conduct an on-site or "sleep" audit of the playing systems.
5. Sanctions for violation of license conditions
| Violation | Sanctions |
|---|---|
| Admission <18 years | Fine up to 1.1 million AUD/day (company), 220,000 AUD (answer. person) |
| Ignore BetStop | Suspend/Revoke License |
| Insufficient reporting and audits | Infringement notices, enforceable undertakings |
6. Practical value for operators
18 + Policy Development
- Include strict verification and rejection conditions in the user agreement.
Technical implementation
- Auto-blocking before passing all KYC steps, integration of DVS and banking APIs.
Training of compliance personnel
- Regular training on the recognition of workarounds and forged documents.
Result
The license is the main mechanism that turns the wish to "play only as an adult" into strict procedures: ACIP before the first bet, DVS verification, verification with BetStop, detailed reporting and severe sanctions. Only through strict licensing conditions and regulatory oversight is the 18 + age threshold actually met in online gambling in Australia.
