New regulations will curb illegal online gambling in Australia
Racing Australia, the lawmaking body for the country's thoroughbred racing industry, has released new laws that hope to stamp out illegal online gambling, which is thought to leak hundreds of million of dollars in bets to unsolicited gambling companies, predominantly stemming from Asia.
With the new regulations, any person subject to the Australian rules of racing who is suspected of placing a bet with an illegal operator can now have his or her phone and computer seized in a "fresh assault on brazen offshore wagering operators."
The new laws come into effect Aug. 1.
From The Sydney Morning Herald:
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It means any person bound by the rules, such as trainers and owners, can have their electric communication devices forensically imaged. And they face stiff penalties for gambling with companies who don't have licensing agreements with Australian racing states.
Racing Victoria has previously implemented a local rule to a similar effect, but Racing Australia has now broadened the powers to include every principal racing authority in the country.
Punters have been lured to bet on Australian racing with illegal offshore agencies, which return no money to the industry through race-fields fees, with the guise of anonymity and the promise of better products and odds.
"This is simply about prohibiting participants betting with non-approved offshore wagering operators because it's a significant risk for the industry," Racing Australia chief executive Barry O'Farrell said.
"The stewards have no visibility as to who is betting with them and therefore have no powers to acquire the production of a customer's betting records. That obviously limits the ability of the racing integrity agencies to inquire and investigate relating to those matters."
Read more here: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/...22-p4zswh.html
