Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) continues to hold online bookies to account with over $1.1 million in fines issued for illegal gambling advertising since 2016, and another wagering company convicted and fined last week.
Companies prosecuted in court have been fined over $830,000, while L&GNSW has issued penalty infringement notices totaling $270,000.
IRPSX PTY LTD, trading as Bet Right, is the latest operator to be convicted for illegally offering boosted odds, attracting a fine of $20,000. The penalty was handed down in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on 7 August, following a L&GNSW investigation into its promotions. The operator was found not guilty of three other charges.
Under the NSW Betting and Racing Act, it is an offence to publish a gambling advertisement that “includes any inducement to participate, or participate frequently, in any gambling activity.”
L&GNSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations, Jane Lin said the regulator has a zero-tolerance approach to the publication of illegal gambling inducements.
“L&GNSW has actively engaged with online bookmakers and provided guidance on their compliance obligations, so there is simply no excuse for wagering companies to advertise inducements and they can be assured that the risk of being caught and prosecuted is extremely high,” Ms Lin said.
“In April, we issued 14 penalty infringement notices totaling $210,000 to wagering company, Betr, which represents the largest ever fine issued to a wagering operator for offering inducements in NSW history.”
“We will continue to monitor television, print and social media for this illegal advertising and advocate for the courts to issue higher penalties.”
In March, SportsChamps was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $14,000 in costs for breaching NSW gaming laws. This is the third time SportChamps has been prosecuted, following a $2000 fine in 2018 and a $2500 fine in 2019.
In 2021, Australia’s largest online wagering company Sportsbet was convicted of gambling advertising breaches twice and fined $135,000 and $22,000.
A court may impose a maximum penalty of $110,000 (per offence) for a corporation and $11,000 for an individual who publishes a prohibited gambling advertisement, while each penalty notice carries a fine of $15,000.
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