The ACMA has requested that Australian internet service providers (ISPs) block more illegal online gambling sites, after investigations found these services to be operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The ACMA can ask ISPs to help it disrupt illegal online content by blocking access to websites. This authority is given to us under the Telecommunications Act 1997 (section 313).
The latest sites blocked include:
- C***spin
- Frumzi
- Great Win
- MyStake
- Oh My Spins
- RetroBet
- The Dog House 2 Slot
- Viperwin
The ACMA explains that “website blocking is one of a range of enforcement options to protect Australians against illegal online gambling. Since the ACMA made its first blocking request in November 2019, 1,564 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked.
“Over 225 illegal services have also pulled out of the Australian market since the ACMA started enforcing new illegal online gambling rules in 2017.”
The ACMA reminds consumers that even if a service looks legal and doesn’t cause suspicion, “it’s unlikely to have important customer protections”, meaning that users risk losing their money.
You can check if an online service is licensed to operate in Australia on the register.
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Why the ACMA will block an illegal gambling site
The ACMA says:
“We will ask an internet service provider to block access to a website where serious criminal or civil offences are involved.
“This includes breaches of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA)—for example, if a website is:
- providing prohibited interactive gambling services to customers in Australia (such as online casinos, online slot machines and services that allow in-play online sports betting)
- providing an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service to customers in Australia (such as online betting services that don’t have a valid Australian licence)
- publishing ads for prohibited interactive gambling services or unlicensed regulated interactive gambling services in Australia.”
Users also have the option to complain about a blocked site.
Information about online gambling is available on the ACMA’s website, including information on how to protect yourself and instructions on how to make a complaint about an illegal site.
Top image: AI-generated man online