ACMA seeks help from Curaçao to stop illegal gambling in Australia
The Australian regulator has sought the Curaçao government’s assistance in tackling illegal offshore gambling operators.
Australia.- The Australian Communication & Media Authority (ACMA) has appealed to the Curaçao government for assistance in tackling offshore gambling operators targeting the Australian market. The regulator is said to have written to Curaçao Finance minister Javier Silvania to highlight the ongoing gambling reforms in the Dutch Caribbean island and request action.
The letter addressed Curaçao “master” licence holders found to breach Australian laws by providing or advertising prohibited interactive gambling services to Australian customers. It outlined a list of violators who have engaged in the promotion or provision of igaming products in Australia, many of whom have evaded fines.
The ACMA acknowledged the challenges it faced in enforcing penalties due to the global nature of online gambling and expressed a desire to establish regulatory collaboration with overseas gambling regulators, including the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA).
Over 200 services have pulled out of the Australian market since the Australian Communication & Media Authority (ACMA) started enforcing new offshore gambling rules in 2017, with various Curaçao-based operators among them.
The regulator recently took action against a CS:GO skins gambling site targeting young players and fined Entain AU$13,320 for accepting illegal in-play bets during the LIV golf tournament in Bangkok in October 2022.
