Tabcorp fined for breaching rules on in-play betting in Australia

Tabcorp has been fined for taking online in-play sports bets.

Australia.- The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has fined Tabcorp AU$262,920 (US$171,731) for offering online in-play sports betting. The regulator found that Tabcorp accepted 854 in-play bets across 69 tennis matches from April to October 2023.

Online in-play betting is banned in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. Tabcorp said the violations were caused by a technical glitch in its systems. But although the error was first detected in April 2023, it wasn’t resolved until October 2023.

Carolyn Lidgerwood of ACMA said: “In-play betting increases access to gambling opportunities and exacerbates the risks of gambling harm, as people can place bets with high frequency on multiple outcomes during sporting events.

“There has been significant growth in online sports betting in recent years and it’s important all online wagering services have systems in place so that illegal in-play bets are not accepted.” 

“Tabcorp is a major wagering operator and it is concerning that it took some 6 months for the system error to be identified and fixed,” Lidgerwood added.

Tabcorp has informed the ACMA of the controls it has in place and measures it will adopt to reduce the likelihood of accepting online in-play bets. The regulator said it took into account that Tabcorp had cancelled all bets, ensuring that consumers did not incur any losses. The company had previously received a formal caution from the ACMA in November 2021 for taking in-play bets on a college basketball game in the United States.

In August, Tabcorp was fined AU$4.6m (US$3.08m) for breaches of the Wagering and Betting Licence and Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct between August 2020 and February 2023. Tabcorp was found to have repeatedly sent marketing material to a customer who had requested not to receive it.

The company failed to adequately train its employees to minimise gambling harm and did not provide proper support to a distressed customer exhibiting signs of potential gambling harm. A Tabcorp account manager called a customer about their concerning betting patterns but ended the call by offering an AU$2000 (US$1,340) deposit match promotion.

See also: VGCCC orders Tabcorp to make most betting terminals cashless