Today, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is set to use its new powers to order local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to suspend the first two foreign websites that have been found to be offering illegal gambling services.
Today, Australian telecoms are expected to receive orders from the ACMA to block Fair Go Casino and Emu Casino – two online gambling sites that are operated under Curacao licences. They are found to be part of the offshore online gambling operators that have been providing Australian punters with illegal gambling services over the Internet.
MEDIA RELEASE: ACMA moves to block Emu Casino and Fair Go Casino https://t.co/5AIH7HrFvq
— ACMA (@acmadotgov) November 18, 2019
The actions against the two aforementioned operators are being taken following some new measures that were announced earlier in November after the Australian communications watchdog has revealed that it would use its new powers to tackle increasing gambling participation and gambling addiction rates in the country. The Government has warned that local residents lose up to AU$400 million on illegal offshore websites on an annual basis.
As explained by Nerida O’Loughlin, the chair of ACMA, both Fair Go Casino and Emu Casino are illegal websites which offer Australians with their gambling services. Ms O’Loughlin further noted that apart from the fact that the operating licenses of the two casinos are issued by authorities which are non-compliant with the Australian gambling regulation, local punters had reported they had been facing difficulties to withdraw their winnings from such websites.
Illegal Offshore Gambling Sites Violate Australian Gambling Legislation, ACMA Says
The Australian Communications and Media Authority had started a probe into the two websites after receiving over 50 complaints about them. It turned out that such online gambling sites do not see any problem in taking punters’ money whenever the customers lose, but they seem to be refusing to pay out players’ winnings, which is why money withdrawal is found so difficult by their users.
As official reports have shown, about AU$400 million are being spent by Australian players on dodgy gambling websites every year. Such websites have been found to be violating the country’s gambling legislation and to be having a negative impact on their customers, not to mention the fact that they have been evading taxes they owe to the Government. And in case they pay anything at all, the country only gets an insignificant portion of their gambling revenue.
As Casino Guardian reported last week, the ACMA is to order local ISPs to block suspected websites that have not been successfully enforced under the country’s online gambling legislation and regulatory framework. According to the communications regulator, 65 illegal offshore gambling websites had withdrawn their operations from Australia since 2017 when the ACMA had started the enforcement of its new powers.
At the time when the Authority revealed its new policy regarding illegal online gambling sites, it also called for the local punters to withdraw their funds from any accounts they might have with such gambling service providers as soon as possible.
- Author
Olivia Cole
