Tabcorp has been fined Aus$30,000 – about $22,000 – for sending promotional ads to former account holders in the Australian state of New South Wales.
Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court levied the fine. An investigation by Liquor & Gaming NSW found that a former Tabcorp betting account holder received a gambling advertisement offering bonus bets on Instagram during a December 2019 promotion. The investigation eventually found that details of 900 NSW residents who had closed their Tabcorp accounts had also been provided to Instagram’s parent company Facebook for the advertising campaign.
The state’s Betting and Racing Act makes it illegal to publish gambling ads featuring an inducement to participate in gambling or open a betting account.
Tabcorp said the ads were sent due to human error, but Magistrate Erin Kennedy said she considered that some of the 900 may have closed their Tabcorp accounts as they had a gambling problem and should not have been targeted for the promotion.
Kennedy acknowledged Tabcorp’s history of compliance to gambling law, but said the ruling should serve as a general deterrent, as well as a specific deterrent to ensure the operator complies with state regulations moving forward.
The payment comprised an $18,000 fine and $12,276 in legal fees.
