SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) has handed its investigation of Ladbrokes Australia and William Hill ‘click to call’ betting services to the Federal Police amid claims that the operators are breaching betting laws.
ACMA had been requested in May to investigate the operators’ services which mirror live/in-play betting a mechanisms which are not allowed by the provisions of Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 (IGA 2001).
The Authority has been forced to turn over its investigation, as the click to call’ services relate to content hosted locally, which should be investigated by the Federal Police. The ACMA stated that it therefore could not advise on the ongoing investigation
If the complaint is about internet gambling content that is hosted in Australia, the ACMA must not investigate the complaint. Where the ACMA believes that such a complaint should be referred to an Australian police force, the ACMA will refer the matter to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
“The ACMA may also refer a complaint about prohibited internet gambling content to the AFP where the ACMA believes that such a referral is appropriate (eg. the material is hosted in a country of interest to the AFP).
‘Click to Call’ features, allow customers to connect to live betting markets by activating their computer microphones with the operators live markets team. The bets are processed by the live markets team once the selection has been approved by the punters.
Both operators have stated that the feature satisfies the provisions and product policies of the IGA 2001.
