ACMA launches proceedings against online poker providers
26th April 2022 10:32 am GMTThe Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched civil proceedings against two individuals and one company involved in providing online poker to players in Australia.
The legal action follows an investigation by ACMA which found that the accused offered online poker games to Australian players in breach of Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) 2001.
Rhys Edward Jones is accused of providing prohibited online gambling services to Australians between March 2020 to March 2021, assisted by Brenton Lee Buttigieg, who was involved in promoting and referring customers to those services.
The civil proceedings also target Diverse Link Pty Ltd, which continues to provide online poker services in breach of the IGA.
The online poker business initially operated under the PPPfish brand before renaming to Shuffle Gaming and later Redraw Poker.
The business invites players to join poker clubs through a mobile app, and then make deposits through a separate website to acquire chips using bank transfer or Bitcoin. These deposits are then credited to their account in the poker club for participation in games.
The accused face a maximum penalty of up to AUD$1.66m (€1.1m) per individual, with that penalty increasing five-fold for companies.