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SPORTSBET FINED AGAIN FOR ILLEGAL GAMBLING ADS

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Just days after the race that stops a nation, Australia’s largest online wagering company Sportsbet has been convicted again of gambling advertising breaches following investigations by Liquor & Gaming NSW.

In Downing Centre Local Court on Friday 5 November, the company was fined $135,000.

Liquor & Gaming’s Compliance Director Marcel Savary said the message was not getting through to some wagering companies who continue to break NSW gambling advertising laws.

“So far this year Liquor & Gaming NSW have started more than double the number of prosecutions compared to last year with 119 different counts of breaching the provisions brought against 14 operators, up from 31 counts against seven operators in 2020,” Mr Savary said.

“Research by the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling in 2020 revealed the vast majority of the community is not happy with the current style of wagering advertising, with 81 per cent believing gambling advertising increases the risk of people developing a gambling problem.

“Participation in most forms of gambling in NSW is declining but online betting is increasing with 70 per cent of all sports betting and 37 per cent of race betting now carried out online.

“Liquor & Gaming NSW consistently expresses concerns to industry about gambling advertising and will continue to monitor compliance with these laws and take strong action for serious and blatant offending,” Mr Savary said.

The matters SportsBet was sentenced for include:

  • From October 2020 to March 2021, Sportsbet account holders received prohibited gambling advertisement via emails from Sportsbet after withdrawing consent to receive direct marketing. Repeated attempts to unsubscribe were unsuccessful due to the confusing functionality of the unsubscribe option.
  • Between 2 and 24 November 2020, a desktop audit of the Sportsbet.com.au social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) was carried out and prohibited gambling advertisements referring to Treasure Punt were identified.

Under the Betting and Racing Act 1998, it is an offence to publish a gambling advertisement that offers any inducement to take part, or take part frequently, in any gambling activity, including an inducement to open a betting account. It is also an offence to unlawfully provide gambling advertisements directly after the betting account holder has withdrawn consent to receive such advertisements. The maximum penalty for these offences is $110,000.

This is the second time Sportsbet has appeared in court this year for breaching the advertising restrictions. In Downing Centre Local Court on 15 March 2021 Sportsbet was fined $22,000 for wagering advertising breaches.

Government-led programs and campaigns, such as Betiquette and Reclaim the Game, aim to counteract gambling advertising and support those at risk of gambling harm.

Anyone in need of free and confidential gambling harm support can contact GambleAware on 1800 858 858 or visit gambleaware.nsw.gov.au

SportsBet has the right to appeal against the sentence imposed.

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L&GNSW Launches Compliance Campaign

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The Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) has launched a compliance campaign focusing on external gambling signage and internal gambling related signage that is visible from the outside of the premises.

Inspectors will be engaging licensees and attending venues to assess compliance.

L&GNSW will be taking escalated enforcement action against any venue found not to be complying with the requirements.

From 1 December 2023, L&GNSW adopted a zero-tolerance enforcement approach regarding external gambling-related signage. This followed a compliance campaign which involved the removal of all external gambling related signage such as “VIP Lounge,” signage that includes dragon imagery or similar, and the removal of adopted imagery including images associated with gaming machines.

External gambling related signage at hotels and registered clubs are subjected to the requirements of sections 43 and 44 of the Gaming Machines Act 2001 NSW (the Act).

These requirements are in place to continue supporting gambling harm minimisation by reducing the visibility and promotion of gambling, particularly to vulnerable individuals and the broader community.

Venues that are not yet compliant should consult the 2023 Compliance Campaign: External gaming signage for hotels & clubs position paper or contact the Hospitality Concierge for additional information on the requirements.

L&GNSW recommends venues conduct self-audits to ensure their obligations and requirements in relation to the Act are met. A Gaming Harm Minimisation Fact sheet is also available.

Breaches of section 43(1) and 44(1) of the Act can result in on the spot fines of $1100 per offence or a maximum fine of $11,000 per offence if prosecuted.

The post L&GNSW Launches Compliance Campaign appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Australia

Konami Promotes Tom Jingoli to President and COO

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Konami Gaming has announced the promotion of Tom Jingoli to President & Chief Operating Officer, as well as Managing Director of its overseas subsidiary Konami Australia Pty Ltd.

For more than 20 years, Tom Jingoli has served Konami with strategic leadership across a variety of areas, including compliance, sales, marketing, customer service and more. Concurrent to this announcement, Konami marked the appointment of Steve Sutherland as Corporate Officer for parent company KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION, where he now serves in addition to carrying on his role as Chief Executive Officer of Konami Gaming Inc.

“Considering Tom Jingoli’s exceptional industry tenure, commitment, vision, and impact, it is especially rewarding to announce this leadership change within the organization. As President of Konami Gaming and Managing Director of Konami Australia, Jingoli will continue the organizations’ business growth, market expansion, and positive momentum on a global scale,” said Steve Sutherland, chief executive officer at Konami Gaming.

As President & COO of Konami Gaming, Tom Jingoli is responsible for successful daily operations, execution and partnership throughout the business, to ensure company results. All internal departments and divisions are under his direct report, spanning seven locations across five continents. This supervision extends to his role as Managing Director of Konami Australia. In his role as Chief Executive Officer of Konami Gaming, Steve Sutherland continues to oversee all aspects of the global organisation and its divisions to achieve long-range goals. Steve Sutherland and Tom Jingoli are both long-time members on Konami Gaming’s Board of Directors.

The post Konami Promotes Tom Jingoli to President and COO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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VGCCC: Minors Exposed to Gambling at ALH Venues

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Victorian venues are putting young people at risk when they turn a blind eye to, or otherwise fail to prevent, minors entering poker machine areas, according to Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) CEO Suzy Neilan.

Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) was fined $38,000 without conviction in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for offences involving 3 minors at 3 venues on 4 dates in 2024.

ALH pleaded guilty to 6 charges, having self-reported the breaches to the VGCCC, which Ms Neilan said was important to recognise as a positive step towards improving industry practices.

“Being accountable for wrongdoing demonstrates integrity, which has been a focus of the VGCCC’s ongoing work with gambling operators,” she said.

“But it’s not enough to own up after the fact. Venues must be proactive about ensuring that minors do not access poker machine areas by ensuring they have in place appropriate systems, processes and staff.

“Operators should undertake a risk assessment and put in place controls to prevent minors from entering gambling areas. Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is for adults only and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age.”

Ms Neilan said it was not acceptable that any Victorian clubs and hotels – in this case, the Cramers and Excelsior hotels – were repeat offenders.

A 17-year-old was able to enter the poker machine area of Cramers Hotel in Preston multiple times without having to show ID, despite several interactions with staff and visits to the poker machine area on 24 January 2024. Staff intervened on 25 January 2024 only after the underage teen placed his belongings next to a poker machine.

Separately, a child in the company of 2 adults entered the poker machine area of the Excelsior Hotel in Thomastown on 24 April 2024. The child, who was seated with one of the adults, pressed buttons on the poker machine before they were both escorted from the area.

And on 27 September 2024, a 14-year-old boy entered the poker machine room of the Mountain View Hotel in Glen Waverley and gambled on a poker machine before staff intervened.

Ms Neilan said the VGCCC would continue to be vigilant about prosecuting venues for allowing minors to access the gambling areas of their premises, but that “prevention is better than cure”.

“I encourage all hotels and clubs to review their operations, including staff training, and consider making any adjustments required to ensure compliance with the law.”

In addition to the fine, the Magistrate ordered ALH to pay VGCCC’s legal costs of $40,000. The Magistrate also noted that but for the guilty plea, he would have fined ALH $90,000 and recorded a criminal conviction.

Summary of charges:

Incident 1 – Cramers Hotel:

Charge 1: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 2: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble

Incident 2 – Excelsior Hotel:

Charge 3: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 4: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble

Incident 3 – Mountain View Hotel:

Charge 5: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 6: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble.

The post VGCCC: Minors Exposed to Gambling at ALH Venues appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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