ACMA Moves Against Offshore Gambling Sector in Australia

Australia has been on the offensive against the offshore gambling market. With sportsbooks and casinos, along with suppliers and affiliates repeatedly targeting the country, the local regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), has continually cracked down against the sector on a per-case basis.

ACMA Cracks Down on More Illegal Gambling Sites

The overall efforts have brought the tally of blocked websites to well over 1,500 domains, with more coming. In a new update, ACMA said that it has further added the following websites, ordering Internet Service Providers in the country to block access to their domains, citing the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 as the basis of legislation:

• JokaRoom
• AUDPokies888
• Aura Play
• Instant Casino
• Leon
• Rich Papa
• UUSpin
• Wild Pokies

The websites have breached local laws by offering unlicensed games of chance and joining the list of prohibited websites in the country. ACMA has not been past reaching overseas regulators and recommending tougher action against locally licensed websites that continue to target Australians without any legal basis to do so.

Curacao has recently announced an overhauling of its licensing regiment, seeking to distinguish itself as tougher on unregulated gambling, but any tangible results are yet to be seen in Australia. As for consumers, ACMA has reminded them repeatedly to be wary of online casinos, as none are regulated in the country.

Locals Should Try Harder to See Through the Ruse

Although sports betting is allowed in Australia, the act of placing a wager must be done solely through a licensed gambling site. With Australians some of the most consummate gamblers worldwide, however, it has been hard to always steer players towards legitimate services.

ACMA has explained that part of the blame lies in the fact that many offshore gambling sites are purposefully trying to appear as if they were legitimate and locally licensed services, when in reality they are not.