ACMA warns Best Bookies’ Price over odds comparison service

The Australian Communications and Media Authority says it meets the definition of a gambling service.

Australia.- The ACMA has issued a formal warning to Best Bookies’ Price Pt for operating an unlicensed online wagering service. It says the Best Bookies service, which facilitates a comparison of betting odds across licensed wagering operators and places bets on behalf of customers, aligns with the definition of a ‘gambling service’ as outlined in the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA). 

While Best Bookies has certain authorisations, it does not have a licence to provide interactive gambling services. Consequently, ACMA determined that the Best Bookies service was in breach of the IGA. It has now ceased providing the service.

In its statement, the ACMA said: “The ACMA also encourages licensed wagering operators to carefully scrutinise any arrangements they have or wish to put in place to use third-party provider services to assure themselves that using those services will not compromise their ability to meet their legal obligations, including those set out in the IGA.”

See also: Australia: player losses on pokies reach US$9.7bn in the past year