Australian operator Tabcorp has been convicted of offering an illegal gambling inducement in New South Wales (NSW) and ordered to pay more than $14,000 (US$9,826) in fines and costs.
The prosecution related to an investigation led by Liquor & Gaming NSW into a promotion that appeared on Tabcorp’s mobile app on 4 October last year.
The advertisement disclosed a special on the UFC bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor which offered bonus bets back up to $50 if the backed fighter lost by decision.
Under the NSW Betting and Racing Act, it is an offence to advertise any inducement to participate or participate frequently in any gambling activity. This includes an inducement to open a betting account.
These promotions can only be directed to an NSW registered betting account holder. In this case, the promotion was available to anyone who viewed the app without being required to log into a Tabcorp account.
Liquor & Gaming NSW Director of Compliance and Operations Sean Goodchild said: "Inducements are known to increase the risk of gambling harm so any breaches are taken seriously.
"Under new laws that came into effect in July 2018, wagering operators found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble face fines of up to $55,000 per offence and company directors can be criminally prosecuted."
