In a statement released September 4, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) demanded that operators in the state stop using sports club partnerships as a way to acquire new players.
According to the VGCCC, it’s becoming increasingly popular for operators to form sponsorship agreements with clubs through which they incentivize new players to sign up, as well as additional incentives based on future spending.
Per the state’s Gambling Regulation Act 2003, operators are barred from offering any benefit to incentivize opening an account or referring a friend to do so, including any sort of rewards, vouchers or credit. Such incentives are considered a violation of an operator’s “social license.”
“The VGCCC demands wagering service providers cease promoting their products in this manner as they may be in breach of legislation by doing so, in addition to being inconsistent with their social license to minimize harm,” the VGCCC said in a statement. “The VGCCC doesn’t just hold gambling providers to the minimum letter of the law – but their social license as well.”
The VGCCC has only been in place since July 2022, and has made several moves to minimize problem gambling and related harms. The regulator recently moved to ban all bets of youth sports competitions.
