ACMA requests blocking of seven illegal online gambling sites
Operators and affiliate in the regulator’s crosshairs for offering gambling services in Australia without the corresponding licence
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has requested internet service providers (ISPs) to block seven illegal online gambling websites operating in the market.
The websites in question were deemed by the regulator to have been in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 for operating in Australia without a licence.
Among the list of banned websites was RollXO, which is operated by Curaçao-licensed company DAMA N.V.
DAMA has previously had some of its other websites blocked this year on ACMA’s request, including Wanted Win in July and Jackpoty in June.
Another banned casino site in the regulator’s latest blocking round is MyEmpire, while operators Pokienations and FreeBitco.in have also been targeted.
The ACMA also requested the banning of affiliate sites Betsquare, Freeslotshub and PayID-Gambler as part of the latest crackdown.
The promotion of unlicensed casinos and other gambling services is prohibited in Australia, as per ACMA regulations.
The ACMA last sanctioned the blocking of websites run by unlicensed operators in September.
Since the regulator made its first blocking request in November 2019, 1,086 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked by ISPs.
This has led to more than 220 illegal gambling service providers pulling out of the Australian market.
In October, the ACMA announced that more than 30,000 people had signed up to the country’s self-exclusion register, BetStop, in just over a year since its launch.