Numerous complaints have been coming from two offshore operators which prompted the Australian Communications and Media Authority to issue blocks to the country’s IPSs
Dinkum Pokies and Fortune Clock Casino are the sites that got the blocking order.
ACMA took the complaints and issued investigations due to complaints about withholding of winnings and found that both sites were in conflict with the Interactive Gambing Act 2001.
150 illegal gambling sites have been blocked so far by orders issued by the ACMA, prompting other illegal operators to leave the Australian market to avoid punishments. Changes to the offshore gambling laws made several platforms to fall into illegalities and in breach of gambling laws.
The ACMA has been in the banwave trend multiple times throughout 2020. Nine, eleven, and eight websites have been blocked in different batches in January, July and August respectively. A consumer warning to online gamblers was previously issued by the ORG back in April.
Natalie Wright, director of the Office of Responsible Gambling from New South Wales, commented the following: “For people that do want to gamble online, you should only use services licensed in Australia, as there are consumer safeguards in place and responsible gambling options, such as the ability to set time and expenditure limits,”
“Overseas gambling websites are illegal in Australia, and people who use them face additional risks than when they gamble with a licensed Australian operator”.
