Oceania

The Australian subsidiary of Paddy Power, Sportsbet has added the popular in-play betting function to its offering.  In-play betting is made complicated in Australia due to the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act which restricts in-play bets to personal ones made at betting shops, or via a phone line. Betting operators get around this in a variety of ways, the likes of …

Tom Seymour, Commercial Director at Durham County Cricket Club (CCC), aims to take SBC readers on a cricketing’ tour of discovery over this year, focusing on the biggest players, grounds and opportunities the sport has to offer. Durham County Cricket Club may be a new kid on the block within the national game, but in terms of winning trophies and …

The Australian Football League (AFL) has announced its planned betting restrictions on those in the media that are accredited with the organisation.   The league has stated that from the 2016 season, which kicks off on March 24th, media wishing to bet on matches will only be allowed to do so during a specified time window on match days. The precise …

It has been reported that Tabcorp was banned from taking bets on the UFC 193 event in Melbourne in November by Victoria’s gambling regulator. The ban arrived amid warnings that UFC was vulnerable to money laundering by figures in organised crime and corruption. This became the first time that the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation had refused an …

Ladbrokes Australia has reactivated its in-play live betting feature, ‘LivePlay’, following a review of failed legal proceedings against the service by the Australian Communication Agency (ACMA). The operator had withdrawn the live betting feature in July (at the time called ‘Ladbrokes – Quickcall’), following the announcement of a federal probe by the ACMA regarding the breaching of national online betting …

Australian bookmaker Tabcorp Holdings has teamed up with News UK, publisher of The Sun newspaper, to launch a new online wagering and gaming business in the UK and Irish markets. The business will be known as Sun Bets and will launch in 2016. The new business will bring together Tabcorp’s capability in global wagering with News UK’s vast customer base …

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 …