ACMA is calling for ISPs or internet service providers to block Richard Casino and Wanted Win. According to ACMA, both sites have been operating in breach of the Australia Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Online operators must hold the relevant license to run gambling in Australia. Services approved by national law should only be the ones they offer.
To protect Australians against illegal gambling services, website blocking is among numerous enforcement options against illegal gambling services. The ACMA can take action if an operator offers prohibited services like online casinos and in-play internet sports betting.
The authorities can block operators for offering unlicensed gambling and publishing adverts for such activities in the country.
Since November 2019, when ACMA made its first blocking request, authorities have blocked around 1,011 illegal gambling and affiliate websites. Additionally, since ACMA began enforcing illegal offshore gambling rules, they have removed over 220 illegal services from the Australian market.
The authority said that ACMA is reminding consumers that even if a service looks legitimate, its unlikely to have important consumer protections. This means their laws can’t help if something goes wrong, like if the service provider withholds winnings.
As the Australian government launches a review into online keno and offshore lotteries, the latest blocking orders come. This, it says, is an effort to minimize online gambling harms.
The government is conducting the review to better understand the impact of keno and foreign matched lotteries on the community. It may also potentially ban each product.
In pubs and clubs, Keno remains popular, however, it increasingly moves online. For the time being, foreign matched – or offshore – lotteries allow consumers to enter lottery draws conducted abroad.
Another variant on the traditional lottery model was banned in 2019. This is where customers bet on results of the draws.
