The Australian regulator has blocked the sites for breaches of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Australia.- The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a request for Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block eight more gambling websites for violations of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The sites are JokaRoom, AUDPokies888, Aura Play, Instant Casino, Leon, Rich Papa, UUSpin and Wild Pokies.
The ACMA blocks sites that offer unlicensed interactive gambling services or publish advertisements for prohibited services. Since its first request in November 2019, it has blocked 1,154 sites. The regulator says around 220 illegal services have also pulled out of the Australian market since the ACMA started enforcing new illegal online gambling rules in 2017.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the ACMA conducted 301 inquiries, upholding 243 (85 per cent). In the previous quarter, it had conducted 396 inquiries. It received 97 complaints and 24 enquiries in October, 68 complaints and 24 enquiries in November and 78 and 10 in December.
The regulator also completed eight investigations involving 16 gambling sites. It found one or more breaches of the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) in five cases. There were 16 findings of breaches: 10 for providing a prohibited interactive gambling service to Australian customers, five for providing an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service to Australian customers and one for advertising a prohibited and/or unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service in Australia.
It reported 75 URLs to accredited family-friendly filter providers and blocked 75 websites. The majority were casino-style services offering games like blackjack, roulette, poker, and slots. A number of the sites also provided wagering services without an Australian licence.
Earlier this week, the ACMA launched an inquiry after the streaming service Paramount+ broadcast ads from 8Xbet, an offshore gambling company, during a match between Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar in New Zealand. The ads, digitally placed along the sidelines, were shown in both Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian Professional League said it identified a breach of advertising regulations in the first half of the match and that it was quickly rectified by technicians. However, ads reappeared in the second half due to another technical malfunction.
A Paramount spokesperson told The Guardian: “Paramount+ inadvertently broadcast some inserted virtual advertisements during the Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar match live from New Zealand on Thursday, February 6, due to the international feed being provided, rather than the Australian feed.
