Interactive

Australia – New legislation could force big betting names out of Australia

By Phil - 21 November 2016

The Australian government is looking to crackdown on online sports betting, which could see a host of top gambling names quit the market.

Following a review of existing legislation, Communications Minister, Mitch Fifield, has presented the Interactive Gambling Amendment bill 2016 into parliament.

The new laws provide the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) with the authority to issue warnings, infringement notices, civil penalties and injunctions without the need for intervention by the Australian Federal Police.

The heads of companies operating without having the right licence will be punished with fines of up to A$1.35m (€949,450) per day, while companies will be charged A$6.75m.

Daniel Sebag, CFO of Amaya, owner PokerStars, said in the company’s earnings call: “At this time, it would appear likely that if the legislation passes, we would block players from Australia, as we do not offer casino sportsbook in Australia. In Australia, we currently offer poker and are reviewing the applicability of proposed legislation to player-versus-player games of skill.”

It has also been reported that PartyPoker and 888Poker will leave the market if the new legislation is introduced.

The new legislation is part of a larger effort by the Australian government to crack down on sports betting with other changes including a ban on in-play betting, a ban on ‘click to call’ live betting services and the development of a National Consumer Protection Framework (NCPF).

Alan Tudge, Human Services Minister, said: “Currently hundreds of illegal gambling services are easily accessible on the internet and we know that people are more likely to get into trouble online. Around 2.7 per cent of interactive gamblers are problem gamblers compared to 0.9 per cent of all gamblers. We expect online wagering providers to meet community expectations. The tougher laws will seriously disrupt illegal offshore providers from acting unscrupulously or targeting vulnerable Australians. The government is committed to taking tougher action against illegal offshore wagering providers and this bill does exactly that.”