Tabcorp fined $1m over major wagering system outage

Tabcorp has been fined AUD$1.0 million by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) for failing to comply with two Commission directives.

The fine relates to Tabcorp’s response to an outage in its wagering system which lasted for 36 hours during the Spring Racing Carnival of 2020, in breach of a licence condition that the system be continuously available. 

The company is said to have then failed to voluntarily provide adequate information about the outage to the regulator, prompting an investigation by the VGCCC to which Tabcorp provided information four months after the deadline.

“We will not tolerate licensees that are not forthcoming and cooperative when the Commission investigates,” said Fran Thorn, chair of the VGCCC. “The Commission had to use its compulsory powers and issue directions because Tabcorp did not provide the information we required about the business continuity and disaster recovery capability of its systems. It is Tabcorp’s failure to comply with these directions that has led to the fine announced today.

The Commission said that Tabcorp’s conduct during its dealings with the VGCCC over the course of the investigation and in response to the directions “impacted the Commission’s ability to understand the cause of the major outage and gain confidence that it would not recur”.  

“All entities we regulate — no matter how big or small — have an obligation to be open and honest with the Commission and responsive to its lawfully issued directions,” Thorn added. “We will not tolerate attempts to frustrate our investigations.”

Shares in Tabcorp Holdings Ltd. (ASX:TAH) were trading 2.27 per cent lower at AUD$1.08 per share in Sydney Wednesday.