Australian Communications and Media Authority Takes Action Against Five More Gambling Websites

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the government agency responsible for overseeing online and media regulation, has issued orders to block five additional offshore gambling websites.

The websites in question, namely Viperspin, Just Casino, Betandplay, Playfina, and Comic Play Casino, were found by the ACMA to be operating illegally within Australia, in violation of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

ACMA has instructed internet service providers in the country to block access to these online casinos. When users attempt to visit these websites, they will encounter a government message instead of the site's homepage.

ACMA emphasised in a statement that players in Australia who use such illegal gambling websites will not be protected by Australian laws. This lack of protection means that players may have no recourse if issues arise, such as service providers withholding winnings.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is authorised to take action against gambling websites that lack licenses to operate in the country or offer prohibited services, including online slot games and in-play sports betting. Additionally, advertising for unlicensed websites or those offering prohibited services is also prohibited, potentially leading to ACMA requesting the blocking of the respective publisher.

With this latest directive, ACMA has now successfully blocked 835 gambling and affiliate websites. Since its crackdown on illegal offshore gambling began in 2017, the regulator has also compelled 215 services to exit the Australian market.

In previous months, ACMA ordered the blocking of Crown Pokies and Play AUD for violations of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. In July, the Australian Communications and Media Authority took action against five more websites: Reef Reels, Royal Reels, Ricky Casino, Slots Gallery, and Slotastic. June marked a particularly active month for ACMA, with the blocking of 12 websites, following the shutdown of three websites in May 2023.

Our Conclusion

While we always love the approach of some kind of control, we suggest the authorities actually come up with some normalised rules for gambling, because otherwise more and more players will end up in offshore casinos gambling illegally.