According to the ACMA, Tabcorp accepted 37 online in-play wagers that are prohibited according to its licensing conditions. The bets were made on a US college basketball game that took place on January 3rd 2021 and were first flagged by a customer complaint.
The Australian Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits online in-play betting under any circumstances.
Tabcorp Warned By ACMA for Breach of Online Gambling LawsTabcorp Warned By ACMA for Breach of Online Gambling Laws“We know that in-play betting, such as bets on the next point in a tennis match or the next ball in cricket, can pose a very high risk to problem gamblers.
Tabcorp Warned By ACMA for Breach of Online Gambling Laws
However, Cameron added:
Tabcorp Warned By ACMA for Breach of Online Gambling Laws Tabcorp Warned By ACMA for Breach of Online Gambling LawsIf we find breaches of the rules caused by genuine mistakes, in any enforcement response we will take into account whether an operator has voided rather than paid out illegal winning bets.”
As this was the first time that Tabcorp had breached gambling rules in this way, the ACMA felt that a formal warning was sufficient.
This is the second time in as many weeks that an Australian online sports betting operator has found themselves in trouble with the authorities. Last week, Flutter-owned Sportsbet was fined for breaching gambling laws with regards to advertising and promotions.