In 2020, Rob Waterhouse was reported for advertising on his website and Twitter account a ‘five daily boosts promotion;' the Liquor and Gaming NSW (New South Wales) responded to the reports.
Waterhouse, who pleaded guilty, was charged with offences under the Betting and Racing Act 1998. The Act is related to publishing prohibited gambling-related advertisements and the maximum penalty an individual charged with such an offence is AU$11,000.
Waterhouse has published gambling advertisements containing a prohibited inducement, as it was promoting the opportunity to obtain increased or higher odds up to five times a day. He was also dealt with in relation to promoting the same advertisement on his Twitter account.
Liquor and Gaming NSW Executive Director Investigation and Enforcement, Valerie Griswold, said: “Anyone struggling with their gambling habits is going to have a hard time resisting ads that offer multiple Bet Boosts. There’s a lot of competition for business at the moment, particularly in the online market which has doubled in size as other traditional forms of gambling have contracted,”
“This is going to create an environment where betting service providers are vying for people’s business, so it’s important that advertisements don’t inadvertently encourage gambling harms in the process.”
Rob Waterhouse joined the online betting world in 2020 after Covid regulations kept gamblers out of racetracks. More and more operators are moving into the online world, with 18 out of 29 on-course bookmakers now licensed in NSW to conduct telephone and electronic betting.
