The Australian sports betting operator betr landed in hot water after two new regulation breaches were identified. Both violations were described as “serious,” meaning that betr’s license might be on the line.
Betr Is in Trouble for Breaching the Code
Despite being a fairly new operator, betr is already under scrutiny for having breached the rules on several occasions. In December, the betting company made headlines for having promoted wagering products to a self-excluded person.
As a result of this regulation breach, the Racing Commission in the Northern Territory slapped betr with a fine of $13,650 (converted to USD). Things have now gotten more serious as the authority found out that the operator had used direct marketing to promote its content in early October.
The Racing Commission noted that just before betr’s official launch, the company had made unsolicited approaches to incentivize people to play with the operator. As reported by the authority, the operator’s relationship managers approached potential customers on the phone, inviting them to bet with betr.
Further Breaches Might Cost Betr Its License
As outlined by the regulator, betr had effectively contacted non-gambling customers, which is strictly prohibited under local regulation. In addition, the operator had sent direct marketing materials to people who had not provided their consent to receive such material.
As a result of the newly-discovered breaches, the Racing Commission fined betr an additional $37,550 for its incompliance, bringing the total fines for the three breaches to over $50,000.
Betr later told the commission that it is keen on following the rules. The operator promised that none of the people who refused further communications have been contacted again. In addition, the company said that its personnel will undergo extra training to prevent similar situations in the future.
Despite that, the Racing Commission remained dismayed that betr was unable to prevent these breaches.
The Commission is therefore very disappointed that, under their leadership, affiliates and employees were permitted to contact any persons in breach of the requirements of the Code.
Racing Commission statement
The regulator imposed the maximum possible fine of 170 for the two new breaches. In addition, the Racing Commission warned betr that if it breaches the regulations again, the authority might be forced to take another disciplinary action. As outlined in the Code, the commission may even suspend betr’s license if it continues to break the rules.
The Racing Commission opted to make its decision public and uploaded it on its site as a warning to all gambling companies in the Northern Territory.