Westpac has introduced a new blocking mechanism in its online and mobile banking platforms which will allow customers to restrict their spend with gambling merchants.
The new digital feature means customers can apply the block in real-time to any personal Westpac credit card or Debit Mastercard, where the transaction is processed through Mastercard.
Westpac’s Director of Customer Vulnerability and Financial Resilience Catherine Fitzpatrick said the new feature is already delivering a significant benefit for customers who need it.
“The flexibility and ease of being able to apply an instant block through digital banking has meant more than 2,500 customers have already accessed this new feature since it went live last month.
“The new feature complements our existing service where customers can also call us to request a gambling block to be applied to their card to stop certain transactions, including at casinos, sports betting agencies and online gambling.
“We know that problem gambling is a serious community issue. The introduction of the digital gambling block is a further step in providing customers choice and convenience to manage their spending,” she said.
The gambling block feature follows other recent measures aimed at making digital banking safer for customers - including giving customers the ability to report abusive messages via online and mobile banking, and blocking inappropriate language from outgoing payments.