VicBet, an online bookmaker operating in Australia, has been fined by the state of Victoria over 2 cases of customer care duty breaches. Calculating the damages at $130,000, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) used the occasion to issue a reminder of the industry’s responsibility towards customers, and of the repercussions that inevitably follow if rules are not …
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Entain Plc is under investigation in Australia over its brands, Ladbrokes and NEDs, for alleged “serious and systemic non-compliance” with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws. This morning, AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial watchdog, announced that it has launched proceedings against Entain. Brendan Thomas, CEO of AUSTRAC, stated: “We allege that Entain failed to develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering …
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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block six new illegal websites operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The websites—Eddy Vegas, Lucky Friends, Lucky Ones, MoonWin, Slottie, and SpinsUP —were found to be offering illegal online gambling services to Australian consumers. This action is part of ACMA’s ongoing efforts to …
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Australia’s Labor government is expected to announce the delay of long-awaited federal reforms of gambling advertising. News broke across Australian media networks this weekend that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would push back settling gambling advertising reforms to 2025. The delay was attributed to opposition from the media and sports, who depend heavily on revenue from gambling advertisements. As it stands, …
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Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG), the totaliser board of Swedish horseracing, has suspended its broadcast and betting offer on Australian harness races. ATG’s board made this decision due to disputes over the use of whips in Australian harness races, which was communicated to Swedish media. ATG has offered betting markets on Australian harness races since 2015, but it has paused …
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BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register of Australian gambling, will undertake its first statutory review. As confirmed by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, the government has appointed Richard Eccles to conduct the review, evaluating BetStop’s progress against its founding objectives. BetStop came into existence in August 2023 to serve as a national, unified gambling self-exclusion scheme available across all six federal states. …
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Tabcorp Holdings has confirmed that Brett Chenoweth will succeed Bruce Akhurst as Chairman of the ASX gambling group. Akhurst confirmed that he would step down as Chairman and governance duties of Tabcorp at the conclusion of the 2024 Annual General Meeting. A Non-Executive Director of Tabcorp since 2022, Chenoweth currently serves as the Chairman of Canberra Data Centres and RetireAustralia. …
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Australian non-profit gambling harm prevention campaign, Alliance for Gambling Reform, has maintained its demands for a total gambling ad ban amid an increase in player losses. The call to Australian policy makers comes in light of a report by the Queensland Government, in which it highlighted that national gambling losses for 2022/23 totalled $32bn – with the only available previous …
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The latest gambling harm prevention data from Australia show that over 28,000 Australians have turned for help to the country’s self-exclusion scheme in the first year since its inception. First launched in August 2023 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the national self-exclusion register BetStop allows people to self-exclude for a minimum of three months up to a …
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The ongoing debate on how Australia will choose to reform its gambling advertising laws has reached the boardrooms of TV networks. This weekend, the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) launched a campaign targeting the shareholders of Australian TV networks to support a blanket ban on gambling advertising. The campaign is led by the ‘chief advocate’, Reverend Tim Costello, who is …
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