Unibet Failed To Close 954 Accounts Which Had Registered With BetStop
Unibet Fined $1 Million For Australian Gambling Law BreachesBetStop is a government-backed initiative to help Australians block themselves from all licensed online casinos and mobile betting apps.
Once registering, bookmakers will not let you place a bet, open new accounts or send you marketing messages.
45 of those customer accounts remained open for 190 days or more – and while bets weren’t able to be placed during the self-exclusion period – the accounts were able to resume full activity after it ended.
One player in particular placed over 1,200 wagers after their self-exclusion period ended. Under the Interactive Gambling Act it is required that accounts must be closed during the NSER registration period.
Unibet Fined $1 Million For Australian Gambling Law Breaches“Taking in some cases 190 days to close accounts is clearly unacceptable and does not reflect the decisions made by Unibet customers to seek support to help them not gamble.
“The NSER rules are also there to ensure that people are making a clear and deliberate choice to recommence gambling. That is not the case if they can simply access old accounts.”
Alongside the monetary penalty, Unibet has entered into a two-year court-enforceable undertaking with the ACMA where it will undergo an independent review of its internal compliance systems.
Unibet Fined $1 Million For Australian Gambling Law BreachesUnibet Penalised For A Second Time Since Entering Australian Market In 2010
Unibet entered the market down under in 2021 when it bought Betchoice, an Australian online casino based in the Northern Territory state.
It was charged AU$60,000 in May 2023 after breaching state gambling laws by including ‘inducements’ to gamble or open betting accounts via its promotional activity.
An investigation uncovered these promotions were in the form of ‘price push’ offers, essentially boosted or special odds – and under Australian law it is an offence to publish a gambling advert that encourages activity.
Betchoice pleaded guilty to two offences, paying AU$30,000 for each and were also ordered to cover the costs of the investigation.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
