O’Shea Bookmaking Pty, trading under TexBet, has been fined AU$33,000 (US$22,791) for offences under the Betting and Racing Act 1998.
The sentence, placed upon the operator on Wednesday 25 September in the Downing Centre Local Court, was the result of the operator accepting new bets and sending gambling ads to a customer who tried to close their account.
The offence itself is said to have occurred around May 2022, when a customer complained that they were receiving gambling ads and had placed 75 new bets – which were accepted by TexBet – despite withdrawing consent to receive ads and requesting their account be closed. The claim was investigated by Liquor & Gaming NSW.
On the case, Liquor & Gaming NSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations Jane Lin said: “By engaging in this behaviour TexBet has broken a law that was put in place to protect vulnerable people who are trying to exclude themselves from gambling... Not only has TexBet broken the law, but it also placed this individual at greater risk of further gambling harm by sending them ads and accepting their bets after they specifically requested for their account to be closed and not to receive gambling ads.
“Online betting businesses that operate in NSW need to ensure they have robust systems in place to prevent direct advertising to people who have opted out. If they fail to abide by NSW gambling laws they should expect to be caught and prosecuted.”
Elsewhere, Liquor & Gaming NSW has launched a new compliance operation to check that licensed operators in the area are adhering to new safer gambling measures. These measures, which include the introduction of Responsible Gaming Officers (RGOs), took effect in pubs and clubs in NSW in July.
Also in Australian compliance news, The Star Entertainment confirmed it has responded to a show cause notice by the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC).
The notice, placed against the operator in mid-September, related to breaches of the second Bell Report, which related to AML and CTF failings by the operator. These ongoing allegations may also have played a part in the operators' dwindling net profits, which fell 71% for FY24.
