The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has fined Tabcorp AU$262,920 (£134,731/€161,778/US$171,731) for breaching rules on in-play betting, while the regulator has also issued banning orders against a further seven illegal gambling websites.
An AMCA investigation, reported today (13 November), found Tabcorp was taking online in-play sports bets, which is illegal under Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001. In total, Tabcorp accepted 854 in-play bets across 69 tennis matches between April and October 2023.
Tabcorp said the breaches were the result of a technical bug in its systems. The first error occurred in April 2023 but was not fixed until October 2023. Tabcorp also noted it voided all bets, meaning consumers did not suffer losses, nor did it profit from the errors.
However, ACMA proceeded with the financial penalty, noting Tabcorp has previously been warned over in-play betting. In November 2021, Tabcorp was issued a formal warning for accepting in-play bets on a United States college basketball game.
In addition to the fine, Tabcorp has advised ACMA of controls it now has in place and future steps it plans to take to minimise the risk of online in-play bets being accepted.
“Concerning” how long Tabcorp took to fix error
Commenting on the case, ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the ban on online in-play betting helps to protect vulnerable people. She added it was “concerning” how long it took Tabcorp to fix the error that allowed in-play betting.
“In-play betting increases access to gambling opportunities and exacerbates the risks of gambling harm, as people can place bets with high frequency on multiple outcomes during sporting events,” Lidgerwood said.
“There has been significant growth in online sports betting in recent years. It’s important all online wagering services have systems in place so that illegal in-play bets are not accepted.
“Tabcorp is a major wagering operator and it is concerning that it took some six months for the system error to be identified and fixed.”
The fine comes after Tabcorp in August was ordered to pay a record AU$4.6 million for failures in Victoria. The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission blasted Tabcorp over its “operational deficiencies”, including sending direct marketing material to customers who had opted out.
Seven more illegal gambling websites blocked
Meanwhile, ACMA has requested Australian internet service providers block access to seven more illegal online gambling websites. This follows investigations that found the sites were operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The sites set to be blocked are MyEmpire, Pokienations, RollXO, Betsquare, Freeslotshub, PayID-Gambler.com and FreeBitco.in.
ACMA has been making blocking requests since November 2019 as part of its wider range of enforcement options. In total, 1,086 illegal gambling and affiliate sites have been blocked from operating in Australia.
On top of this, more than 220 illegal services have pulled out of Australia since ACMA started enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules in 2017.
In recent months, ACMA has issued similar orders against Lucky Block, Rooli, Casino Belle, Casino Australia Online, Pokies.bet, Pokiesman and Smart Pokies.
