The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 has been violated by nine illegal offshore gambling websites. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) requested Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block these offshore gambling websites.
According to ACMA, the websites were being used in violation of national laws. The nine websites include Winning Days, 21Bit Casino, Oshi Casino, Lucky Elf Casino, NeoSpin, Lets Lucky, Boho Casino, Ripper Casino, and BC. Game.
A statement from ACMA says, “The ACMA is reminding consumers that even if a service looks legitimate, it’s unlikely to have important customer protections. This means Australians who use illegal gambling services risk losing their money. On our register, you can check if a wagering service is licensed to operate in Australia.”
This was not the first time ACMA has targeted illegal websites. Authorities previously blocked 15 sites which included :
Spin Oasis
Fab Spins
RB Carnival
The GoGo Room
Velvet Spin
Zenith Slots
Slots of Wins
Latinbet24
Hell Spin
Sky Crown
Blue Leo
Wolf Winner
Bizzo Casino
Wabo88
Ozbet88.
Over 180 of these websites were banned after ACMA started enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules in 2017. According to a watchdog, website blocking is one of several enforcement measures that can be used to safeguard Australians from unlicensed online gaming.
Similar cases of illegal offshore websites operating without permission have also been plaguing the gaming sector in India. The websites were found to be using surrogate ads to redirect people to their online gaming websites in order to avoid paying taxes.
The surrogate ads promoted themselves to be gaming news websites and spent millions in advertisement. These websites also invested in promotion through sponsorships and celebrity ads.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcast have also blocked these websites and advised TV and OTT companies to refrain from promoting them on their platform. Further laws to curb these offshore websites are also under consideration.