Australian gambling regulator strengthens block of illegal betting sites

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has blocked more illegal gambling sites that breach existing legislation.

Since the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 came into force, the AMCA has been vigilant about stamping out any form of unlicensed or unregulated gambling.

The ACMA diligently notifies internet service providers of prohibited internet gambling content, ensuring transparency and adherence to procedures specified in an industry code or industry practice set out in the Gambling Act.

The most recent sites to be shut out are:

• Jogi Casino
• Dundee Slots
• Lucky Hunter
• Lucky Wins
• Lukki Casino
• Spin Fever
• Clubhouse Casino
• Winport Casino

The Regulator will block sites if they threaten the safety of Australians who enjoy wagering online. Some online sites can face unseen threats to an individual’s online security. Their unregulated nature can lead to issues like the lack of wagering limits and timeouts that can harm users when placing bets.

If a site looks unregulated, the AMCA has created a credited list of approved sites and operators that match the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 requirements.

Operators in Australia need to have a valid license to promote advertisements for the list of permitted gambling methods. For example, Australia doesn’t allow in-play gambling as a standard.

Late last year, some of the biggest online betting heavyweights were sanctioned. The controllers of Ladbrokes, Neds, bet365, and Sportsbet have all been found guilty of non-compliance with interactive gambling rules.

In Australia, gamblers cannot place a bet during an event unless this is conducted and placed via phone. The AMCA found that bettors were using the web-based applications of all of these operators to place bets and then call to confirm the in-play wager.

The regulator cracked down on the major players in gambling, asking for a revision of practices and online security methods to prohibit this banned form of wagering.

Since the first website block by the AMCA in 2019, there have been 975 sites shut out, and over 220 illegal or unregulated operators have fled the online gambling scene in the land down under.

Safer gambling has recently been a key topic for the Australian Government. We reported on the Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), and the Australian Federal Parliament worked in tandem to ban the ability to fund online betting via credit cards.

The AMCA is a serious entity that enforces strict policies and approved gambling methods to protect Australians when they wager online.

Image: AMCA.

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