When was the last time you joined a new sportsbook online and collected a nice, rewarding bonus bet offer? Did you find much use in it? Did it help you save money or manage your wagering budget for the month with more simplicity?
Today's sportsbook bonus bets are particularly appealing for Aussie punters. According to a 2017 “Sports Betting in Australia” survey published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, close to 600,000 adults from Down Under were estimated to have wagered on sports on a regular basis two years prior to the completion of the survey. With bettors spending more than 45 per cent of their spare time wagering on their favourite sports, and around 46 cents in 1$ AUD spent on this activity, it is easy to see why bonus bets are so interesting for Aussies. Unfortunately, the gambling legislators appear to have a different mindset concerning the topic of bonus bets. The fresh framework in the country could just bring them to an end.
Let's find out more on the matter and the way it could influence your own sports betting habits.
Bonus Bet Offers, a Thing of the Past?
Bonus bet offers are one of the preferred marketing tools used by virtual bookmakers Down Under. Dressed up as various types of incentives for registering new player accounts, making real money deposits or wagering on indicated markets, these bonuses attract numerous bettors eager to use every advantage they can get their hands on. However, just like most things in life, they may come to an end. With new legislation aimed to prohibit the use of bonus bets almost knocking on punters' doors, let us glance at the way betting on sports online will look like in the near future.
Free bonus bets are, therefore, expected to be completely banned in Australia. At the end of 2018, the Australian Federal Government made another drastic change in the way it looks at the sports betting industry on the web. The matter of banning sports bonus bets rose, and while Federal officials haven't made up their minds on a specific date, the term March 2019 was being speculated. Technically, the decision would have required a year and a half timeframe prior to turning active. The policy would cover bookmakers, including the UBet and TAB, which have support from the Government, and completely ban them from offering rewards and/or bonuses and other types of similar incentives to new players opening an account. According to the new requirements of the National Consumer Protection For Online Wagering, bettors would no longer be able to benefit from any wagering rewards, free bets or more match deposit bonuses. Also, all types of signup offers would vanish as soon as the policy would become active.
When Will The Ban Happen?
Unfortunately, despite the mainstream media not reporting it, the ban has already occurred. The government was not quick to make the big announcement either and for obvious reasons. The ban was still not made public through an official announcement, even though the ban was supposed to be initiated by the end of May 2019.
The Liberals and Nationals are known to have banned NSW greyhound racing for a brief moment of time, and they were inches away from completely banning all types of horse races. They are also the same people who put a ban on all types of new player/bettor bonuses and signup offers when it comes to virtual bookmakers. The National Gambling Framework is the name of the official decision that has led to the controversial policy. Let's find out more about it.
What Is The National Gambling Framework?
The Australian Government decided to impose a brand new National Consumer Protection Framework with the purpose of lifting the standards used by sports betting operators in the online market. The same framework also encompasses a self-exclusion register for punters, as well as a 10-point plan aimed at discouraging gambling on credit.
The need for more naturally blending gambling laws across the country expressed by sports betting operators in all territories and states has become more palpable during recent years. One significantly important triggering factor was the fact that the NSW chose to ban new account inducements. They also focused on prohibiting any form of marketing for them on their territory. Online operators were, therefore, forced to implement geo-targeting in order for their inducements not to target punters in NSW.
It is the same National Framework that has now prohibited the use of any signup bonuses bets and special deals in Australia. If you live in one of the states were these offers were eligible, we hope you took advantage of them while they were still legal.
What Is The Current State Of Things?
For starters, some sportsbooks have already stopped displaying any information concerning signup deals and bonus bets on their homepages. However, some operators are still offering newcomers incentives for ongoing wagers and loyal memberships, which are usually found on their Promotions' pages or website sections. Secondly, specialised platforms that review Sportsbooks have also begun to stop providing any information concerning these bonus bets. Instead, they direct interested punters looking for a new place to bet on sports to the websites of the respective operators.
Conclusion
Despite the complete lack of any sign-up deals, bettors continue to have a large array of arguments why they should sign up with a sportsbook and place their wagers on the web. Daily, weekend or monthly promotions could still bring them plenty of rewarding experiences. The trick is to be able to locate the most trustworthy operators and stick to them. Australia-casino.co provides punters with a rich selection of sportsbooks reviews and recommendations in terms of the best sportsbooks for Australian players. We personally test, assess and compare these sites for you and provide you with the most pertinent, relevant and useful information that should help you make the best decision.
