What the reforms are likely to mean in practice.

Backing the Punt has always been where the Australian wagering and racing industry comes to have its most important conversations. In 2026, that conversation expands.

For years, decisions started with the transaction. Increasingly, that's the least interesting part. Genuine customers and fraudulent networks move fluidly between payment methods and operators, so any single event tells only part of the story. Identity connects them. Forter recognises 97% of identities across Australia, the US, Canada and Ireland,* drawing on a global network of over 2.5 billion - turning a hesitant decline into a confident yes.

Over 640 days ago, the Federal House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs published its report on online gambling harm in Australia, ‘You Win Some You Lose More’. The report had bold recommendations, including a ban on all advertising of online wagering.

From 29 September 2024, more stringent customer identification and pre-verification requirements (called Applicable Customer Identification Procedures (Verification)) applicable to WSPs will come into force across all Australian jurisdictions.