SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
New South Wales (NSW) betting regulator, The Office of Liquor Gaming & Racing (OLGR) has warned the Australian betting industry that it will not tolerate any form of promotional/marketing consumer inducement for gambling products.
The OLGR industry warning comes as the regulator announced last week that it launched advertising charges against operators’ Tabcorp, Crownbet, bet365 and Unibet.
In 2015 OLGR the regulator for NSW betting jurisdictions has introduced new advertising standards, with the introduction of increased monitoring with larger fines for operators deemed to have breached its policies.
The regulator is reported to be targeting betting consumer promotions that advertise bonuses, free bets or money.
In November the regulator charged Ladbrokes Australia with a + $25000 fine for public promotion of its “Daily Free Bet Challenge”.
Anthony Keon OLGR Director of Compliance & Enforcement stated that the regulator had been tracking advertising on all mediums and that it legislators would charge any operator found in breach of its policy regarding consumer inducements.
Tabcorp governance released a short statement detailing that it would challenge the OLGR charges against its marketing operations.
Australian industry stakeholders have argued that OLGR betting advertising policy is unclear and outdated with consumer viewing habits accusing the regulator of acting in ambiguity.
Current and future Advertising policy has been asked to be a reviewed agenda as the Australian government redrafts its 2001 Interactive Gambling Act (2001 IGA).
