ACMA said Viperspin, Just Casino, Betandplay, Play Fina and Comic Play Casino had been operating illegally in Australia. The regulator deems this in breach of the country’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
As such, ACMA has asked Australian internet service providers to block access to each of the sites.
“Australians who use illegal gambling services are not protected by Australian laws,” ACMA said. “This means our laws can’t help if something goes wrong, like if the service provider withholds winnings.”
Website blocking is one of a range of enforcement options available to ACMA. Action can be taken if a site does not hold a licence, offers prohibited services such as online slots or in-play sports betting, or publishes ads for another site that is unlicensed or runs prohibited services.
Over 830 sites now blocked in Australia
The latest round of blockings means 835 gambling and affiliate sites have now been blocked in Australia. In addition, 215 illegal services have exited the country since ACMA began enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules in 2017.
Last month, Crown Pokies and Play AUD were also blocked for operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
In July, blocking orders were issued against another five sites – Reef Reels, Royal Reels, Ricky Casino, Slots Gallery and Slotastic. This followed the blocking of an additional 12 sites in June and three sites in May.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/licensing/australia-blocking-gambling-websites/
