Betting operator Betchoice, or Unibet, must pay a fine of $25,000 for offering illegal gambling inducements to residents in New South Wales, according to Liquor and Gaming NSW.
The sanction was issued in Sydney on December 15. Regulators discovered a February advertisement on the Unibet website offering “$50 CASH For Each Friend You Refer!” and a separate ad posted in November 2018 on the Canberra Times website offering “Deposit $20, Bet with $100.”
New South Wales law prevents operators from creating and displaying ads that display “any inducement to participate, or participate frequently, in any gambling activity (including an inducement to open a betting account).” Any such promotions can only be offered in NSW to registered betting account holders.
Liquor & Gaming NSW Director of Compliance Operations Sean Goodchild explained that the operator had clearly offered inducements to gamble or to open a betting account. “Betting operators have an obligation to ensure that all advertising complies with NSW laws on gambling advertising,” he said. “Inducements are known to increase the risk of gambling harm so any breaches are taken seriously.
“Under new laws that recently came into effect, wagering operators found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble face fines of up to $110,000 per offence and company directors can be individually and criminally liable.”
