Sportsbet Files Counterclaim in Class Action Lawsuit over Fast Code Service

Flutter Entertainment-owned Australian online gambling company Sportsbet has filed a counterclaim in response to a class action lawsuit concerning allegedly illegal fast codes it had offered to bettors.

Sportsbet Files Counterclaim 

According to Sportsbet, if the courts determine its use of fast codes was unlawful, then customers who used those codes and profited from bets should be required to repay their winnings. Lawfirm Maurice Blackburn previously launched two class action lawsuits against Sportsbet and Entain, alleging the companies used fast codes to allow customers to place live bets, which are prohibited in Australia.

Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Lizzie O’Shea said that their position is that the consumer protection framework, specifically Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA), makes such conduct unlawful because in-play bets must be placed entirely by telephone. A trial for Sportsbet has been scheduled for August in the Victorian Supreme Court, while a hearing date has yet to be set for the class action against Entain.

What Is Maurice Blackburn’s Lawsuit About?

As mentioned, Maurice Blackburn is leading the case, which was filed last year at the Supreme Court of Victoria. The proceeding is a class action brought on behalf of individuals who placed one or more bets using Sportsbet’s Fast Code service between December 24, 2018, and December 24, 2024, and lost more than they won.

Under Australia’s IGA, it is unlawful to place a bet on a sporting event after it has started unless the wager is made entirely by telephone. The claim alleges that Sportsbet’s Fast Code service breached the IGA by enabling customers to enter key betting details through the Sportsbet app and/or website instead of placing the bet wholly by telephone.

The case further alleges that Sportsbet engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by representing that the Fast Code service was lawful and by breaching its own terms and conditions. These stated that it complies with the IGA by not accepting live bets online, although it may accept them by telephone. Sportsbet denies these allegations.

The current lawsuit isn’t the only legal and financial issue that Sportsbet has been dealing with in recent months. At the very end of last year, for example, Sportbet was fined $209,000 by the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission for failing to provide important gambling activity statements to more than 6,000 bettors.