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 Welcome to
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| Australia Makes In-Play Betting Illegal |
07/05/2016 |
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 Editor |
• Opportunity
missed say Bookmakers
In-play betting is
to be outlawed in Australia after the federal government chose to accept
virtually all the recommendations of the the Illegal Offshore Wagering Review
into the online industry.
The findings of the investigation conducted
last year by former New South Wales premier Barry O’Farrell were today
(Thursday) released, with the government also set to establish a national
self-exclusion register for problem gamblers and ban bookmakers from offering
punters lines of credit.
However, the most contentious issue was
O’Farrell’s recommendation that a loophole which allows operators to
offer ‘click to call’ in-play betting should be closed. While live
betting is illegal via online platforms, it is allowed over the telephone and
companies such as Ladbrokes, Sportsbet and William Hill each offer punters the
chance to gamble through their websites as long as a microphone is enabled,
thus fulfilling the ‘phonecall’ requirement.
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The decision on in-play
betting was welcomed by David Attenborough, chief executive off Tabcorp, which
has long opposed its foreign rivals’ promotion of in-play betting.
“The Government has addressed a number of areas to provide better
protection for consumers and the community and to start creating a more level
playing field for wagering operators in Australia,” Attenborough said.
“Online betting on live sport is an illegal form of wagering in Australia.
It is pleasing that the government has removed any doubt about its legality,
addressing the activity of those wagering operators who have been circumventing
the law.”
Tabcorp's closest competitor, the Paddy Power
Betfair-owned Sportsbet, condemned what it described as a short-sighted
decision by the government which merely protected Tabcorp’s dominant
position and would lead to punters simply visiting illegal offshore sites.
Sportsbet chief executive Cormac Barry said: "I think it’s a win
for the lazy, traditional monopoly wagering operators in Australia who are more
interested in protecting their monopoly than giving consumers what they want.
It is a sad day for Australian consumers and I think the big winners today are
the illegal offshore operators who will be able to continue to operate
uninhibited."
Organisations such as ESSA and major sports codes
including Cricket Australia told O’Farrell’s investigation that legal
in-play betting would improve integrity in the sports betting market. However,
the government today said it would not allow the practice, citing figures
showing the rate of problem gambling is three times higher when wagering is
conducted online.
Social Services Minister Alan Tudge said: "The
government does not intend to further expand the online betting market in
Australia by legalising online in-play betting, We think there's enough
problems with gambling already, before giving people the ability to bet on
every moment of every sport across Australia from your living room."
Ian Fletcher, of the Australian Wagering Council, which represents big
corporate bookies, said the real missed opportunity was “the apparent
abandonment of Australian sport and sports integrity”. “Sports
themselves made clear that they needed in-play wagering to be integrated
into the onshore, regulated world,’’ he said.
Despite the
move to ban in-play betting, it appears unlikely the legislation to close the
loophole that allows live betting via telephone could be passed before the
expected election on July 2.
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