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RACING AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2016
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S
REPORT
continued
4. ILLEGAL OFFSHORE WAGERING
Throughout 2014 and 2015 Racing Australia engaged
with the Federal Government to utilise Commonwealth
powers to tackle the growing integrity and revenue
threat posed by illegal Asian bookmakers. This resulted
in the Government announcing on 7 September 2015
a Review into Illegal Offshore Wagering to be headed
by former NSW Premier The Hon Barry O’Farrell.
Racing Australia made both public and private
submissions to the Review and was pleased that the
Government subsequently adopted all of the major
recommendations made by Mr O’Farrell.
The Federal Government has been as good as its word
and legislation to amend the Interactive Gambling Act
2001 was introduced into Parliament on 10 November
2016 to implement the key recommendations 3 and 17
of the Review. The amendments are to:
• Strengthen the law to make it clear that it is
illegal for overseas gambling companies to offer
gambling products to Australians unless the person
or company holds a licence under the law of an
Australian State or Territory. Currently, the law is
ambiguous as to whether or not it is illegal for
offshore wagering companies to provide gambling
products to Australians if they are not licensed in
Australia.
• Empower the Australian Communications and
Media Authority (ACMA) with new civil penalties,
complementing the existing criminal penalties,
powers held by the Australian Federal Police,
and allow ACMA to be responsible for the entire
complaint handling process from receipt to
enforcement.
• Introduce other disruption measures to curb illegal
offshore gambling activity, such as placing company
directors or principals of offending gambling
companies on the Movement Alert List so any travel
to Australia can be disrupted.
• Prohibit “click to call” in-play betting services.
• Establish a register of unlicensed and illegal
interactive gambling services to be published on
the ACMA website to raise awareness amongst
Australian consumers.
• Provide the ACMA the ability to notify international
regulators of operators providing prohibited
interactive gambling services to Australians.
• Allow persons to make complaints to the ACMA
about, and allowing the ACMA to investigate,
the provision and advertising of all unlicensed or
prohibited interactive gambling services.
Integrity is the foundation of public and punter
confidence in the industry and the Government’s
actions will significantly enhance racing’s integrity in the
ever evolving online world.
Whilst grateful for the Government’s decisive action to
date, Racing Australia will continue to work with relevant
Ministers on two other key recommendations being:
• Consultation with banks and credit card providers
to potentially introduce strategies such as “payment
blocking” to limit the transactions that illegal offshore
wagering operators may undertake.
• Consultation with Internet Service Providers to
assess potential options to reduce their availability to
Australian consumers.