Liquor & Gaming NSW, which regulates those two industries in New South Wales, Australia, has promised it will impose maximum fines on sports betting operators that flout advertising laws.
Recently, it handed down a fine of AU$70,000 (US$49,000) to online gaming provider BetDeluxe for publishing illegal gambling inducements, reported Inside Asian Gaming. PointsBet, meanwhile, was fined AU$35,000 (US$24,500), and also was fined AU$20,000 (US$14,000) for the same offense in 2019.
“Liquor & Gaming NSW will continue to actively pursue operators for illegal advertisements and advocate for the courts to issue higher penalties,” said Hospitality and Racing CEO Anthony Keon, noting that seven bookmakers have been prosecuted on multiple occasions since 2018.
In that year, he said, the NSW government introduced new laws “to significantly increase penalties for wagering operators who are found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble, with maximum fines now set at AU$110,000 (US$76,500) per offense for a corporation,” he continued.
“Clearly some of these operators think gambling inducements are just the cost of doing business, but they are wrong, and they are pushing their luck. We will continue to bring these matters before the courts and seek higher penalties that reflect community expectations.”
BetDeluxe acknowledged five offenses, including 21 Facebook promotions for bonus bets on sports games and enhanced odds on horse racing, IAG reported. PointsBet pleaded guilty to two advertisements that included an Instagram promotion to receive $50 back in bonus bets, similar to those it offered in 2019 on the Apple App Store, promising $100 cash back on certain bets.
“Prohibitions on gambling inducements are an important harm minimization measure and the increase in maximum penalties, along with our continued prosecution action, should send a clear message to wagering operators about how seriously we view these matters,” Keon said.
“Reoffenders run the risk of the higher range penalties, and more scrutiny, so let me be clear that patterns of poor compliance are not worth the trouble.
“We hope this is the first and last time we see BetDeluxe in court for gambling inducements.”
