Australia bans online lottery betting

The Parliament announced that it will enforce a lottery betting website ban, starting next January 1st.

Australia.- Lottery betting websites are set to be forbidden from next January 1st, 2019, after the Australian Parliament approved a national ban that applies to all sites that take wagers on the outcome of lottery draws.

“This will protect Australia from synthetic lotteries and will bring important new consumer protections by closing the loophole that lotto betting sites have been operating out of,” Adam Joy, chief executive of the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association, said and added: “We now call on all synthetic lottery operators to do the right thing by Australians and cease offering these products immediately.”

Australian Communications Minister Mitch Fifield also commented: “This legislation will also protect more than 4000 small businesses including newsagents, pharmacies and community clubs and pubs across the country who operate long-standing, recreational betting services.”

The “synthetic lottery” service is a major concern for Australian authorities, which specifically targetted Lottoland Australia. However, the company announced the ruling “does not mean the end of Lottoland Australia.” CEO Luke Brill said that the company will develop other ways to offer its services as there’s plenty of time until the ban is enforced.

“It is a great pity that the Senate did not give due consideration of the unintended consequences the new laws will have – not just on our customers, but on competition and innovation,” Brill said and added: “We are here to stay, and will continue to innovate and adapt so that we can continue to provide our customers with the type of exciting and innovative products they have come to expect from us over the past two years.”