Australia: 11 Illegally Operating Offshore Websites Blocked By ACMA

Things have been busy at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with recent blocking orders against another eleven affiliate and gambling websites described as operating illegally in the country. Nevertheless, this is but a mere fraction of rogue providers. When looking at the bigger picture, players will be able to find plenty of licensed and legally operating real money AU online casinos sites.

Thunderpick, Greenspin, Candyland Casino, Digits 7, Golden Lion, Slotman, PayID Pokies, Jeetcity, New Vegas, Betibet, and Sector 777 are the websites said to be in breach of Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act of 2001. Additionally, the AMCA also formally requested for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia to immediately block access to all eleven sites.

According to the ACMA, its ability to enforce website blocking is one of the instruments in place to protect Australian players against illegal online gambling. The ACMA also noted that “even though a service looks legitimate” the chances of having adequate customer protection were incredibly low. This implies that Australian players that choose to use “illegal gambling services risk losing their money”.

These eleven new brands join a long list of brands that have also been since blocked by the ACMA, with recent rulings against BetUS and Wild Blaster amongst others, stating that they were operating in the country by offering offshore gambling services illegally.

Seven Also Gets Fined

While we’re on topic, broadcasting company Seven Network Operations Ltd (Seven) has also been fined by the ACMA last month for breaching advertising rules for online gambling. This breach follows a formal warning by the same authority back in 2022. The investigation found that ‘Seven’ featured an ad during the livestream of an NFL game, breaching the rules that state that gambling adds cannot be displayed during sporting events or live streams between 17:00 and 20:30 in Australia, including five minutes before or after the game. To this end, Seven was slapped with a AU$13,320 fine, representing the maximum amount the ACMA was able to impose under these circumstances.

Credit Cards No Longer Accepted

In other news, there’s also been a recent approval in the Australian Senate for all credit cards to be banned as a method of payment for online gambling. This recent news sent ripples across the community, with a quasi-blanket ban set to be enforced within the next six months across Q1 and Q2 of 2024. This Bill was passed last month by Australia’s House of Representatives, allowing it to make its way up to the Senate. This was approved last week, clearing the path for it to pass into Australian law. At present, credit cards are already banned as an acceptable form of payment within all land-based casinos in Australia. This implies that this new Bill will place a countrywide ban on all types of credit card gambling payments.