ACMA Issues ISP Blocks Against 4 Illegal Gambling Sites

The media watchdog has been taking an active role in the fight against illegal online gambling websites on the territory of Australia – or rather, websites located offshore that have targeted consumers in the country without the necessary licenses.

ACMA Continues to Fight Against Unregulated Gambling Sector

Poker websites, online casinos, and bookmakers have all extended their offer to Australian players in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, the piece of legislation that the regulator uses to issue internet service provider (ISP) blocks to offending parties.

However, ACMA has been unable to stop the torrent of illegal gambling websites that have been coming in. One of the persistent issues has been the fact that many of these websites are quick to setup mirror domains or hosts, and still go around the ISP bans.

ISP bans are not ideal either because they could easily hurt consumers and genuine businesses in the crossfire. The latest round of blocks targets Slots Gallery, Slotastic, Reef Reels, and Royal Reels, all four of which were offering online casino products to players in the country.

With these four names, the list that started in November 2019 now features 804 names. However, to seek a more impactful measure, ACMA may need to collaborate with international counterparts.

Broader Measures Needed for Lasting Success

The regulator has already sent an open letter to the Curacao government and urged local authorities to intervene in the cases where companies registered with the Curacao gaming regulator are continually flogging illicit gambling products in Australia.

Curacao is already working on a number of changes to its gambling industry, which have been described as stricter and much-needed changes to the existing legal framework. In the interim, though, ACMA is unlikely to find itself with respite as it continues to work against securing the measures needed to block more offending parties.

The exact number of websites targeting Australia is not known. Some 200 companies pulled out of their own volition when ACMA said that it would reach out to overseas licensing bodies and file a complaint in 2017.