The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued more blocking orders against illegal offshore gambling and affiliate marketing sites.
This comes after the ACMA issued its first blocking orders against offshore lottery websites last month.
The latest sites blocked by the ACMA
In an announcement made today, the ACMA revealed that it has requested Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block more illegal offshore gambling and affiliate marketing websites.
The latest sites to be blocked include:
- Golden Lady Casino
- Casino4u
- Spin Samurai
- Axe Casino
- Lucky Dreams
- Comet Room
- Paradiso Room
- No Deposit Friend
- No Deposit Bonus Blog
- Casino-On-Line
- Online Casino Australian
- Casino Shortlist
- Australia Casino
- Aus Casinos
The ACMA said it undertook investigations that found the sites to be operating in violation of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Website blocking is one of several enforcement options being used to protect Australians against illegal online gambling operations. The ACMA began issuing website blocking requests back in November 2019, and since then 375 illegal websites have been blocked.
Additionally, over 150 illegal gambling services have pulled out of the Australian gambling market since the ACMA began enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules back in 2017.
In its announcement, the ACMA said: “Website blocking provides a valuable opportunity to alert the public to illegal gambling services through the messaging that appears when there is an attempt to access the site.
“ACMA is reminding consumers that even if a service looks legitimate, its unlikely to have important customer protections. This means Australians who use illegal gambling services risk losing their money.”
The ACMA’s recent blocking orders
Last month, the ACMA issued its first blocking orders against offshore lottery websites that were operating in the country.
In November, the ACMA requested Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block illegal offshore lottery websites We Love Lotto and Red Fox Lotto.
Authority member Fiona Cameron said the two websites will be the first lottery sites blocked in Australia after ACMA investigations found they offer tickets in major overseas online lotteries and are not licensed in Australia, which is prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Last month, the ACMA also issued a formal warning to Tabcorp after the operator was found to have accepted online in-play bets on a US college basketball game.
As a result, the ACMA launched an investigation into Tabcorp after receiving a complaint that the operators had taken 37 in-play wagers during the game which was held on 3 January 2021.
In Australia, online in-play betting on an event during play is prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and, as a result, the ACMA ruled Tabcorp broke the law.
Prior to this, in June of this year, the ACMA requested ISPs in Australia to block access to offshore gambling domains operated by Kings Chance Service.
Following an investigation carried out by the ACMA, it was found that Kings Chance Service was operating in breach of the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act.
These sites included Aussie Casino Hex, Australia OK Casinos, Aussie Online Pokies, Pokies, Australian Casino Club, Australian Gambling, True Blue Casinos.
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