Australian racing and wagering firm Tabcorp has been fined AU$262,920 (US$171,781) by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for accepting in-play bets on sports – a practice that remains illegal under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
According to information release by the ACMA, an investigation into Tabcorp found it accepted 854 in-play bets across 69 tennis matches between April and October 2023.
“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,” said ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood
“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 said to have blamed a technical ‘bug’ in its systems for the error, although Lidgerwood noted it was concerning that it took six months for the system error to be identified and fixed.
The company has advised the ACMA of controls it now has in place and future steps it will take to minimise the risk of online in-play bets being accepted.
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