Australian regulator acts against offshore operators as well as domestic promotion of illegal gambling
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued formal warnings to six companies for providing unlicenced online gambling to players in Australia.
The formal warnings for providing prohibited interactive gambling were issued in May and made public earlier today (7 June).
Two Anjouan-based companies have received warnings, with NovaForge Limited (wildcasino.com) found to be providing online casino games and in-play betting, both of which are prohibited by the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The second Anjouan company, Metlait SRL (spinrise.com), was found to be providing online casino games to players in Australia.
Curacao-based Ryker B.V. (fresh-bet.com) received a warning for providing both casino games and in-play betting, alongside online casino operator Latcas B.V. (slotsgem.com)
Ireland-based Sky Rain Limited was found to be providing online casino games to players in Australia, while Costa Rica-based Spades Limitada (jacksclub.io) was found to offer in-play betting and online gaming.
All six companies also offered an Australian customer helpline.
The regulatory action against the six unlicensed operators comes a day after the ACMA published a formal warning to professional mixed martial arts athlete Jamie Mullarkey.
Mullarkey was found to have promoted prohibited interactive gambling through sponsored posts on his Instagram account.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the enforcement action against the MMA fighter puts social media influencers and their agents on notice.
“In this case the ACMA issued a formal warning considering the specific circumstances of the matter. This included that Mr Mullarkey ended the sponsorship arrangement promptly, cooperated with the investigation and quickly removed the material. Mr Mullarkey also accepted responsibility for his conduct and expressed genuine remorse,” said Lidgerwood. “However, all influencers need to be aware that promoting illegal online gambling sites is against the law and can result in significant penalties.”