ACMA bans trio of gambling websites over alleged illegal offer

• ACMA has banned new gambling websites deemed to be operating without a license
• Three websites have been handed down ISP blocks in the latest enforcement action
• The announcement of illegal gambling website blocks coincides with the inaugural Illegal Gambling Awareness Week

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) continues to carry on with its systematic enforcement action against gambling websites that do not have a license to operate games of chance or sports wagering services in the country.

ACMA shutters access to three more illegal gambling services

The regulator has named three new websites that ACMA found in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, namely Gday77, SpinBet and X4Bet. In an official statement, the regulator explained that these services were unlicensed and therefore illegal.

ACMA spoke about the inaugural Illegal Gambling Awareness Week and used the enforcement action to raise awareness about the issue at hand. Launched by the International Association of Gambling Regulators, the campaign strives to help protect consumers against gambling-related harm.

Part of these efforts involves raising awareness about illegal gambling services, as noted by ACMA.

"The ACMA is reminding consumers that even if an illegal service looks legitimate, it’s unlikely to have important customer protections. This means Australians who use these services risk losing their money," the regulator said in a statement.

Regulator warns consumers over potential risks of engaging with illegal websites

ACMA further highlighted the potential risks of connecting to such websites, including but not limited to identity fraud, due to the fact that such services, the regulator notes, may either misuse or fail to properly protect documents with sensitive information.

ACMA has long been engaged in issuing Internet Service Provider (ISP) blocking orders against individual websites. Since enforcement began in November 2019, a total of 1,850 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked.

A total of 230 websites had left before that - mostly licensed services with overseas gambling licenses.

Any gambling entity that wishes to operate in Australia must comply with a set of rules and obtain a relevant license.

Websites that offer online casino games of chance are automatically illegal, as the country currently does not allow the operation of iCasinos.

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