Tag: acma

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that it has issued warnings to three gambling service providers because of regulatory violations. The three companies were accused of contraventions of subsections 15(2A) and 15AA(3)of the IGA.

The official warnings have been sent to the owners of Rooli, Lucky Block and SlotCatalog, which the ACMA believes have violated the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA).

The three companies, the ACMA understood, had offered unlicensed gambling to players in Australia using an Australian customer link. This constituted a serious violation of the local regulations which prohibit illegal offshore operators from targeting local customers.  

The Companies Were Sent Warnings

The ACMA issued formal warnings to Dama N.V. and Strukin Limited, the owners of Rooli, which provided unlicensed gambling content to customers in Australia. The Australian regulator clarified that the company had operated despite lacking authorization to do so. This constituted a violation of subsection 15(2A) of the IGA.

Lucky Block had likewise offered online gambling services to Australian consumers and had an Australian customer link despite lacking a license. The ACMA therefore issued a similar warning to its owner, Igloo Ventures, notifying it that it had violated subsections 15(2A) and 15AA(3)of the IGA.

Finally, the ACMA warned Fedir Havlovskyi who represents SlotCatalog, that the company had violated subsections 15(2A) and 15AA(3)of the IGA by facilitating access to unlicensed online casino platforms.

ACMA’s BetStop Receives Award

In other news, the ACMA recently received an international award for BetStop, its national self-exclusion program. According to the earlier announcement, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) handed the Regulatory Excellence Award to the ACMA, praising the authority’s efforts in creating the first centralized self-exclusion register in Australia.

“The IAGR award for regulatory excellence is a recognition of the dedication and collaboration of ACMA staff in delivering this important safeguard, which has supported the more than 30,000 Australians registered to date,” Nerida O’Loughlin, chair of the ACMA, said.

This announcement came a week after Australia launched its first-ever review of the self-exclusion program.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) continues its constant effort to fight of the gambling market. In its latest publication, the authority announced that it has ordered local internet service providers (ISPs) to block two more illegal gambling websites.

Two Operators Added to ACMA’s Long List

The ACMA said that its decision followed thorough investigation of the services in question. The regulator’s team found the websites in question to operate in breach of Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

In line with its usual strategy, the body leveraged its authority to ask ISPs to block access to the gambling brands in question. This regulatory measure is one of a range of enforcement options available to the regulator and has proven fairly efficient in limiting the influence of foreign companies in Australia.

According to the ACMA, the latest two operators to receive this treatment were Lucky Block and Rooli.

The ACMA us allowed to issues a blocking order if it determines that a website offers illegal online gambling, provides a prohibited service, or promotes unregulated activities.

ACMA Asks Players to Avoid Unlicensed Gambling

The ACMA once again reminded consumers to remain vigilant and engage only with legal services. The regulator emphasized that offshore operators do not play by the rules and are highly unlikely to employ sufficient, if any, consumer protections.

As a result, customers who play with illegal companies have no guarantees of payouts and may also develop addictive tendencies. The ACMA reminded that its register contains a full list of the wagering services that are licensed to operate in Australia.

The ACMA recently surpassed 1,000 blocked illegal gambling and affiliate websites. With Lucky Block and Rooli. now added to this list, this figure has reached a total of 1,059. Earlier this year, the ACMA also issued bans to Richard Casino and Wanted Win, which likewise offered services that violated Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act.

In addition to having blocked over a thousand illegal gambling websites and affiliates, the ACMA’s proactive approach has convinced 220 illegal services to willingly pull out of the Australian market.

In other news, Sportsbet, one of Australia’s major operators, recently stopped providing novelty betting options amid regulatory concerns. Such wagering products included bets on the Grammys and reality shows like Australian Survivor.