PointsBet hit with $20,000 fine for illegal gambling ad
Operator censured by NSW regulator in Australia for offering inducements to gamble
Australian betting operator PointsBet has been fined A$20,000 by the New South Wales Liquor and Gaming Board for illegal gambling advertising.
PointsBet pleaded guilty to the offence in the New South Wales District Court after regulators found the operator was offering inducements to gamble.
The advert in question, which first appeared alongside the PointsBet app in the Apple App Store, offered money back on certain races if a customer’s horse came second.
Under the New South Wales Betting and Racing Act, any advertisement which offers players incentives or inducements to gamble or open accounts is deemed to be illegal for encouraging problem gambling.
In his decision, New South Wales Magistrate GJ Still considered the fact that the advert may not have been readily accessible on the Apple App Store but asserted its potential to induce people to gamble via the PointsBet online site.
New South Wales Liquor and Gaming director of compliance operations Sean Goodchild highlighted the role of inducements in increasing the risk of gambling related harm and any fines reflect the “seriousness” of this offence.
PointsBet is the second firm to be fined by the Liquor and Gaming board for the same offence in the space of a week, following a similar ruling by the court against Sportchamps on Monday.
Under new laws that came into effect in July 2018, betting operators, if found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble face fines of up to $55,000 per offence and company directors can be criminally prosecuted.