Offshore gambling operators using Australian Open to promote illegal services
Offshore gambling companies are exploiting the Australian Open's popularity to illegally promote services to Australian consumers.Summary
Offshore gambling operators are increasingly using the Australian Open to promote their illegal services, raising concerns from regulators and sporting professionals. These operators, like Vegastars and Rainbet, are employing tactics such as giveaways and influencer marketing, featuring the Australian Open logo and images of tennis stars without official affiliation. While Australian law prohibits these companies from encouraging local gambling, enforcement lags behind their activities. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) can block access to these websites, and has taken action against Vegastars, but a more comprehensive solution, such as blocking financial transactions, is needed. Experts suggest that a payment block, similar to those in Germany and Norway, would be more effective than the current 'whack-a-mole' approach of blocking URLs. Australians gambled a significant $254 billion in 2023-24, with $3.9 billion spent on offshore companies and $7 billion locally.
(Source：The Guardian)