ACMA continues to barrage the illegal gambling industry with enforcement action. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has shown no desire to relent in its pursuit of unlicensed gambling operators that have been targeting Australians. Together with the assistance from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the regulator has been able to block even more illegal offshore gambling websites now.
ACMA Strikes Down Cloudbet and Las Atlantis
The latest websites targeted by this move include Las Atlantis and Cloudbet. According to the regulator, the pair has breached the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. This legislation prohibits unlicensed operators to make their products available to Australian players. Furthermore, Australia only permits sports and horse racing betting to take place online. Casinos and poker are off-limits for the time being.
Since ACMA started banning websites in November 2019, the regulator has been able to block the impressive 619 operators. This is a significant commitment on the part of the regulator which was at first not taken seriously when it vowed to go after every single website that is targeting Australians unlawfully.
More than 180 websites have decided to withdraw of their own volition, but not without a firm incentive from ACMA. Effectively, ACMA threatened that any international brand that continues to target its citizens will see the watchdog raise concerns with the overseas regulators. In the case of operators regulated in Malta or the United Kingdom, this could have picked them in serious trouble with their local license issuers.
ACMA though is not counting on its own efforts to tackle the problem. Rather, the regulator is urging consumers to also remain vigilant and to try and identify the bad apple websites. The regulator also reminds that casino and poker rooms online are unregulated. Any sports and horse racing betting platforms must always be licensed by a local state regulator.
ACMA also calls on citizens to file a complaint if they spot an illegal website. ACMA has also been looking into the regulation of social casinos. The regulator’s last enforcement action was back in September when it cracked down on a dozen gambling websites.