NSW Liquor & Gaming to crack down harder on illegal gambling ads

NSW Liquor & Gaming (L&GNSW) has created a new fine structure due to its recent increase in fines issued.

Since 2016, the regulator has handed down over AU$1.1 m (US$710,000) in fines to bookies that issued illegal gambling advertisements.

According to the NSW Betting and Racing Act, it is an offence to publish a gambling advertisement that “includes any inducement to participate or participate frequently, in any gambling activity.”

Bet Right is the latest operator to be reprimanded for illegally offering boosted odds and the company was granted a fine of AU$20,000. The operator was found not guilty of three other charges.

In 2021, Australia’s largest online wagering company Sportsbet was convicted of gambling advertising breaches twice and fined AU$135,000 and AU$22,000.

In April, the regulator issued 14 penalty infringement notices to Betr, totalling AU$210,000. This was the largest fine ever issued in NSW history to an operator for offering inducements.

Meanwhile, the NSW authority has continued its crackdown on illegal gambling ads by devising a new fine structure.

A court may impose a maximum penalty of AU$110,000 (per offence) for companies and AU$11,000 for individuals who publish a prohibited gambling advertisement, while each penalty notice carries a fine of $15,000.

L&GNSW Executive Director of Regulatory Operations, Jane Lin, said: “L&GNSW has actively engaged with online bookmakers and provided guidance on their compliance obligations, so there is simply no excuse for wagering companies to advertise inducements and they can be assured that the risk of being caught and prosecuted is extremely high.

“We will continue to monitor television, print and social media for this illegal advertising and advocate for the courts to issue higher penalties.”