Australia’s communications watchdog has blocked a slew of websites operating outside the country’s licensed market, including the imaginatively named Mafia Casino.
In total, 19 online gambling platforms and affiliate sites have been blocked by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), as an unyielding approach is taken by Australian officials to unlicensed operators.
The latest sites blocked are: Bass Bet, BetWhale, CasinOK, Cleobetra, Diva Spin, FatPirate, Free Spinz, Gransino, JackBit, Legiano, Mafia Casino, Magius, Monster Win, NewLucky, Nonbetstop.com, Slotexo, Talismania, Tiki Casino and Vegas Hero.
The agency stated: “The ACMA is reminding consumers that even if a service looks legitimate, it’s unlikely to have important customer protections. This means Australians who use illegal gambling services risk losing their money.”
Blocking a myriad of websites is a tough challenge for regulators, as it leads to a whack-a-mole style predicament with operators rebranding to avoid detection.
At the same time, the AMCA has also issued a formal warning to the sports betting operator Chasebet after an investigation discovered the company ‘failed to adequately promote’ Betstop – Australia’s self-exclusion programme – in three marketing emails and on its website.
The ACMA noted that Chasebet rectified the issue promptly after being made aware of its non-compliance and attributed the issue to a software error.
A reminder of the extent of Australia’s black market comes as politicians in the country continue to debate new reforms to gambling advertising laws.
The AMCA said that it has blocked over 1,640 illegal gambling sites, while a further 230 have pulled out of Australia since greater enforcement action began in 2017.
The Labor government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has proposed restricting TV advertisements to three per hour between 6am and 8.30pm, as well as a ban on advertisements around live sporting events and defined school drop-off and pick-up times.
In addition, the government is also considering a ‘triple lock’ on gambling content distributed digitally, meaning that social media platforms and websites will need to require users to sign in, confirm they are over 18 and allow them to opt out of seeing gambling content.
However, these latter plans have been slammed as ‘unworkable’ by opposition MPs, as they have questioned the feasibility of the triple lock – noting that adults and children often share accounts on platforms like Spotify and YouTube.
Independent MP Kate Chaney told The Guardian: “Calling it a ‘triple-lock’ makes it sound much more protective than it actually is – most families share streaming accounts and unless parents painstakingly go through each platform, website and streaming service and manually find and activate the opt-out options, gambling ads will continue to be seen.”
A spokesperson for Anika Wells, the Minister for Communications, has confirmed that ‘specific definitions’ will be released to avoid loopholes ahead of the rollout of the legislation.
iGaming Expert analysis: While gambling reform in Australia has been hotly disputed since the publication of the Murphy Report in 2023, discontent between parties only serves to threaten the strength of the regulated market and embolden illegal operators.
It’s essential for the health of the regulated sector that the Labor Government can find a solution that provides greater player protection for consumers while also fostering market growth for licensed operators.
