Neds hit with £10k fine for “inducing excessive gambling”
Dean Shannon’s Australian sportsbook sanctioned by NSW regulator for controversial marketing initiatives
Australian operator Neds has been fined £10k for overly aggressive marketing targeted at New South Wales (NSW) punters.
The NSW Liquor and Gaming regulator fined the Queensland-headquartered bookmaker for promotional material that broke the rules by inducing residents to gamble or open betting accounts.
Neds, the online bookie owned by former Ladbrokes Australia CEO Dean Shannon, was sanctioned for five separate offences involving online advertising between October and December 2017.
The NSW found fault with Neds’ offer to match first account deposits up to A$505 and for promoting ‘bet boosts’ that randomly raised a betting stake at no extra cost to the punter.
Liquor & Gaming NSW deputy secretary Paul Newson said the advertising practices “intruded on the community and clearly breached NSW gambling advertising laws” which aim to reduce the risk of gambling related harm.
Newson said: “Under new laws, maximum fines for offering unlawful inducements to gamble have been increased tenfold, and directors of wagering businesses can be held personally liable and be criminally convicted for gaming offences.
“It will no longer be good enough for directors to turn a blind eye and say they were unaware their company had committed offences,” he added.
The sportsbook launched in September last year and has already had two of its television adverts banned by Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau for “promoting excessive gambling”.