22/05/23
Australia’s Gambling Industry Watchdog Blocks 5 More Gambling Sites
The Australian government has lately been cracking down on unlawful gambling activities to make the industry safer and protect problem gamblers. Part of the long-term plan is preventing illegal gambling sites from accepting Australian players, with the government embarking on a mission to block these unlawful sites from accessing the country’s iGaming space.
On September 20, 2023, the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) announced it had banned five more gambling websites in the country. The regulator said that the operators were guilty of breaching the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
As a result, the ACMA asked the country’s internet service providers (ISP) to block the following websites:
- Comic Play Casino
- Play Fina
- Just Casino
- Viperspin
- Betsandplay
The ACMA has blocked over 800 illegal betting and affiliate sites from accessing the country’s online space since its inception. In 2017, the body started implementing the new gambling rules that saw 215 illegal operators exit the Australian iGaming market.
Blocking offshore websites is one of the several enforcement measures the Australian government uses to safeguard Australians against risky and illegal gambling practices. The ACMA can restrict an offshore website by directing ISPs to block the operators.
This directive applies to websites offering gambling services like sports betting, online casino games, lottery, and live dealer games. A gambling site can also be blocked if it’s guilty of publishing ads in Australia.
More Gambling Sites Restrict Promotional Bets
In other news, several gambling companies in Australia have begun restricting wagers from players who profit from promotional offers or bet in a commercially unviable manner. According to the Guardian Australia, the correspondence aligns with the recently released parliamentary inquiry report. The correspondence reveals that some bookies restrict bets from successful bettors while encouraging high-risk individuals who lose a lot and experience harm.
Several industry insiders who asked not to be named said the restrictions are necessary because organized gambling rings frequently target special offers like “deposit matches.” In this bonus, a bookmaker matches the amount of money a customer deposits. After receiving the reward, some mischievous bettors can create many accounts in other names and use the bonuses repeatedly to manipulate the market.
However, other operators use bonuses and promotions to keep problem gamblers betting. They argue that the introduction of increased taxes had resulted in altered odds to make up for lost revenue and that promotions discourage players who were losing money more quickly from quitting the activity.
It’s also revealed that certain bettors use a matched betting strategy. The bettors use the incentives they get from bookies to help offset wagers they place on other bookmakers. In some cases, bookmakers have resorted to restricting these betting accounts.
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