SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Best Bookies’ Price Pty Ltd has been issued a formal warning from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (AMCA) for operating an unlicensed online wagering service.
The group is described as an ‘internet site allowing punters to securely bet with a range of independent licensed Australian bookmakers using a single betting account’.
However, it has been found that the service allowed customers to compare betting odds across licensed wagering operators and placed bets with those operators on their behalf.
These activities were found by the ACMA to have met the definition of a ‘gambling service’ in the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA), and therefore, Best Bookies’ Price Pty Ltd has now ceased providing this service.
“While Best Bookies had obtained authorisations from the relevant state-based regulator, it did not hold the required wagering licence to provide interactive gambling services under the IGA,” the ACMA said in a statement.
The group explained that the service was provided in contravention of the IGA as it was an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service provided to Australian-based customers.
Meanwhile, the ACMA also advised that licensed wagering operators should ‘carefully scrutinise any arrangements they have or wish to put in place to use third-party provider services’.
This is to assure themselves that those using these services will not compromise their ability to meet the legal obligations, including those set out in the IGA.
The ACMA has provided further information on its investigation online at Investigations into online gambling providers.
