Australia’s largest gambling company, Tabcorp, has received a fine of almost $10,000 (converted to USD from AUD 15,000) for its recent violation of New South Wales’ advertising rules. According to Liquor & Gaming NSW, the gambling company induced visitors of its website to gamble.

The advert was visible to anyone who visited Tabcorp’s website, regardless if they were a registered customer or not. Tabcorp later justified the promotion as the result of an “internal failing.”

Under New South Wales’ rules on gambling advertisement, any offers that encourage people to gamble are strictly forbidden. Overall, NSW prohibits companies from inducing players to play, open accounts, keep their account open or consent to receive promotions. As a result, the Australian gambling giant will have to pay the aforementioned fine.

Speaking on the matter, Liquor & Gaming NSW’s executive director of regulatory operations, Jane Jin, reprimanded Tabcorp, saying that an operator of its size should know better and have more robust internal controls to prevent the publication of such gambling inducements.

Jin noted that gambling operators should instead offer gambling promotions to existing betting account holders who have made the decision to play and have consented to receiving such inducements. She concluded:

However, wagering operators can’t advertise or promote inducements such as offers of increased odds or bonus bets to entice people to open a betting account or to gamble more frequently.

Jane Jin, exec director of regulatory operations, Liquor & Gaming NSW

Tabcorp Was Also Fined in Victoria

Several days ago, Tabcorp also found itself in hot water in the state of Victoria. In that case, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission filed charges against eight venues, as well as Tabcorp, saying that they’ve allowed minors to gamble.

Tabcorp, among other entities, was accused of not having sufficient monitoring controls and social responsibility protocols. As a result of this serious violation, the company faced a fine of up to AUD 698,997 ($450,000).

VGCCC’s chief executive officer, Annette Kimmitt, emphasized that allowing minors to gamble is one of the most serious offenses a gambling company can commit. She said:

All gambling venues must ensure they do not accept a bet from a minor and must ask for identification from anyone they suspect could be underage.

Annette Kimmitt, CEO, VGCCC

Earlier this month, the Australian Taxation Office agreed to return $53 million to Tabcorp, following the resolution of a tax dispute.

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Tabcorp, an Australian gambling giant, has unveiled an extension to its digital content agreement with the Flutter-owned gambling company Sportsbet. Under the agreement, Sportsbet will be allowed to broadcast Sky Racing 1 and Sky Racing 2 live on its betting application and official website. Sky will serve as the exclusive provider of the deal.

As announced, the deal has been extended for 10 years, securing Sportsbet’s access to the Sky Racing service for a decade. The terms of the deal are more or less the same. The arrangement is expected to generate between AUD 30 million and 40 million by the end of FY 2024.

The deal comes after, in May, Tabcorp considered a bid for rights for the Melbourne Cup Carnival, one of the biggest racing events in Australia. The move caused some of Tabcorp’s competitors to drop out of the bidding.

One of the Most Significant Deals for Tabcorp

Addressing the current deal, Tabcorp’s managing director and chief executive officer, Adam Rytenskild, said that Sky is “the home of racing.” As such, the broadcaster attracts more bettors than any other channel in Australia and is a “major driver of racing wagering.”

According to Rytenskild, the extension of the deal cements Sky as a leading racing network.

With more than 150,000 races broadcast live around the world every year and the best team in Racing, the extension of this agreement recognizes Sky as one of the best and most valuable racing networks in the world.

Adam Rytenskild, CEO & MD, Tabcorp

The CEO added that the deal is also good news for racing clubs whose meetings will be followed by more people than ever before. He concluded that the agreement will extend one of Tabcrop’s most significant digital revenue streams for another 10 years.

Rytenskild concluded that his company continues to build momentum toward TAB25. The company’s robust pipeline will transform the racing sector with a new app, products and faster market speeds than ever before, the CEO added.

In other news, Sportsbet continues to double down on its marketing efforts in Australia ahead of a looming ban on sports betting ads. The company has invested millions in sports betting advertisements in H1 2023 alone.

The post Tabcorp and Sportsbet Extend Sky Racing Rights Deal by 10 Years appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival is famous not only in Australia but around the world. Popular as the country’s biggest racing event, it enjoys viewership from 120 nations. It is believed that more than 700 million people around the world enjoy the Melbourne Cup, which is a testament to its importance within the horseracing vertical. Now, as reported by The Australian, the gambling and betting giant Tabcorp has joined the race to become a broadcast rights holder for the Melbourne Cup.

Securing the rights would mark a milestone moment for Tabcorp, as it will enable it to continue to grow its broadcasting portfolio. Currently, the company owns three radio stations, as well as two broadcasting businesses. Additionally, Tabcorp holds the role of naming rights partner for the event that takes place after the Melbourne Cup, the Champion Stakes Day.

Joining the race, the company is reportedly considering an AU$100 million bid for the rights and is negotiating with Victoria Racing Club (VRC). The previous handover of the rights for the Melbourne Cup dates back to 2018 and it involved a five-year contract. Now, keeping in mind that the contract is about to expire in 2024, Tabcorp’s move doesn’t come as a surprise.

Talks about Broadcasting Rights Are Yet to Be Officially Confirmed

According to Adam Rytenskild, Tabcorp’s CEO, expanding the company’s collaboration with the VRC would mark an exciting moment. He pointed out that Tabcorp is proud to be the “exclusive wagering partner of Australia’s most famous week of racing.”

Despite the reported talks, VRC’s CEO, Steve Rosich, told The Australian that the company is looking forward to 2023’s Melbourne Cup Carnival in partnership with its broadcasting partner, Network 10. Addressing the talks about the broadcasting rights for 2024, Rosich said that those details are confidential.

“The VRC is looking forward to showcasing another exceptional Melbourne Cup Carnival in 2023 in conjunction with our broadcast partner Network 10. The VRC’s media rights process for the 2024 Melbourne Cup Carnival and beyond is confidential.“

Steve Rosich, CEO of Victoria Racing Club

If indeed Tabcorp secures the rights for the Melbourne Cup, that wouldn’t be the first time this has happened to the company. From 2020 to 2022, the company was the international rights holder of the marquee fixture.

The post Tabcorp Considers Bid for Melbourne Cup Broadcast Rights Holder appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Letting minors gamble could cost a pub in Melbourne almost AU$ 222,000 ($149,850) after the Victoria gambling regulator got tipped, investigated and charged the venue.

Six Occasions of Letting Gambling by Minors

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) announced Friday that the staff at the Preston Hotel allowed a 16-year-old access to electronic terminals on six occasions last year – in May and September – which the minor used to place bets, reported The Guardian.

Glorija Kuzman, director for Gambling at the VGCCC, outlined that “all gambling operators – including venues and the holder of the statewide Wagering and Betting license – have an irrefutable legal requirement to do everything they can to stop children from gambling.”

“One of the most serious harms is minors gambling,” she said, deeply concerned with the violations.

The VGCCC charged the pub located in north-east Melbourne with 15 charges among which six counts of allowing a minor to gamble, six counts of failing to supervise its electronic betting terminals and three counts of allowing a minor to enter a gambling machine area – all carrying a maximum financial penalty of AU$221,904 ($149,785).

The Melbourne pub is not the only one charged for the violations as the watchdog also slapped charges on the holder of the statewide wagering and betting license, Tabcorp. Australia’s largest gambling operator is facing a maximum fine of nearly AU$104,000 ($70,200) over eight charges – four counts of allowing a minor to gamble and four counts of failing to supervise a gambling machine.

“We are very focused on managing the unique challenges of cash betting and continue to invest in this area to protect minors by stopping our equipment from being used in this way,” commented a spokesman for Tabcorp, adamant that the company is taking the matter seriously.

Urging the Public to Share Info on Possible Transgressions

The regulator also said other venues are also being investigated for similar offenses, urging the public to contact the watchdog and share information if they have witnessed occasions in which minors could have possibly gambled.

The charges against the Melbourne pub and Tabcorp is the latest enforcement action undertaken by the Victorian gambling watchdog which is not shy to enforce the regulations and slap huge fines on incumbents which are found to have violated the requirements.

At the end of last year, the VGCCC issued a fine of AU$1.35 million ($904,000) to the country’s major poker machine operator, Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH), for non-compliance with the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 related to the compulsory pre-commitment program YourPlay.

Earlier in the year, the watchdog penalized Crown Resorts with AU$80 million ($57.4 million) for allowing players at Crown Melbourne to use China Union Pay cards to make deposits between 2012 and 2016.

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