ACMA hands gambling probe to Federal Police amid restrictions of investigative powers
An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) into two overseas-based betting firms has been handed to the Federal Police amid claims the companies are flouting local laws.
Mumbrella understands the ACMA has been forced to turn its investigation over to the AFP as a complaint the media watchdog received about Ladbrokes and William Hill involved content hosted in Australia.
Under its powers and under the provisions of the The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) , the ACMA can only investigate gambling content that is hosted outside Australia.
Content hosted locally must not be investigated by the organisation and instead be referred to the police, if ACMA deems it necessary.
It was only a matter of time before the new services of Ladbrokes + William Hill were investigated. They aren’t breaking any rules or laws, simply working their way around them. In-play/live betting over the internet is legal in the UK and it’s time Australia stepped up to the mark (at least for match odds bets) and allowed Australians the ability to compete in this space. It’s ridiculous that i have to call up in the middle of a match and potentially miss placing a bet due to such draconian laws.
Don’t see how it matters ladbrokes won’t let you bet unless you are a problem gambler they should be investigated for discrimination at the very least.
One of the purposes of the prohibition against online inplay betting was to prevent people sitting at home using inplay sport like a bingo or poker machine which it can be used as in things like runs-off-next-ball betting in cricket. There was also considered a serious risk of facilitating problem gambling in secret – a factor mitigated by having to dial, pause and speak to a human voice.