Oceania

New South Wales (NSW) betting regulator, The Office of Liquor Gaming & Racing (OLGR) has warned the Australian betting industry that it will not tolerate any form of promotional/marketing consumer inducement for gambling products. The OLGR industry warning comes as the regulator announced last week that it launched advertising charges against operators’ Tabcorp, Crownbet, bet365 and Unibet. In 2015 OLGR …

 Social sports betting network, Favourit, has launched a customer loyalty rewards program ‘Favourit Rewards’ to ensure player rewards for engagement with its core product.  The newly launched program will give customers reward points for every single bet placed, and an accumulation of these points will lead to free bets, prizes and exclusive promotions on the Favourit platform. An Australian company, …

As Australian regulators undertake a review of the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) which represents leading national sports bodies has urged the government to lift its ban on in-play betting. COMPPS, seven members include the codes of Australian Football, Cricket Australia, NetBall Australia, Tennis Australia and the National Rugby League. The …

Australian slots manufacturer Ainsworth Game Technology (Ainsworth) has announced that it has secured a 100% binding agreement to acquire US Class II slot manufacturer Nova Technologies. Set at a debt free basis, Ainsworth governance detailed that the deal was estimated at $38 million (£24 million). Clearing deal provisions and regulatory approvals Ainsworth governance will hope to conclude the deal by …

Despite failing to agree merger terms, Australian business news sources have reported that competitors Tabcorp and Tatts Group may enter some form of corporate union in 2016. Business news sources have reported that Tabcorp governance are still closely monitoring Tatts wagering assets in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Following a weekend of speculation, on Monday Tabcorp and Tatts …

Australia’s biggest gambling operators Tatts Group and Tabcorp have failed to agree terms on a merger which would create a + $9 billion enterprise. This weekend national news sources reported that a conformation of the merger talks between the two parties was imminent, but almost immediately the deal was dead in the water. The planned merger would have seen the …

Advertising watchdog, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) is set to launch a discussion paper addressing concerns regarding the promotion and marketing of gambling products to national consumers. The discussion paper would cover gambling across racing and sports betting, gaming and other casino games, along with lotteries and scratchcards. The AANA’s paper, follows this week’s announcement that New South Wales …

New South Wales (NSW) regulators have moved to ban the advertising of live odds on sports television and radio broadcasts. The broadcasts restrictions were announced by NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant last Friday, and are set to be implemented by March 2016. NSW restrictions will apply to sports broadcasts which are less than four hours long in duration, the restrictions …

An Australian politician is pushing to have the country’s gambling taxation laws overhauled, and has the sports betting industry in her sights. National Party senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie is pushing the federal government to impose a new national gaming tax and effectively ban gambling with overseas operators using ‘banking and other tools’. McKenzie has made a formal submission to …

Bookmakers were cheering yesterday after the Melbourne Cup was won by 100/1 shot Prince Of Penzance, the longest winner in Australia’s most famous race since 1940. It is also the first time a female jockey has ridden the winner in the race’s 155-year history, giving Michelle Payne the opportunity to speak out over the sexism she has encountered. “It is …