Gambling Regulators Besmirch Online Sportsbooks in Australia

Victoria regulators have issued a set of warnings, cautioning bettors not to fall victim to illegal promotions, "inducements", by casino pushers wanting to addict innocent Australians to online betting through misleading advertisements.

Regulatory body claims that too many online sportsbooks in Australia use borderline illegal techniques to draw in more customers.

"One of the commercials showed a lion throwing passing a ball to a zebra. This is a blatant lie since lions do not play football with zebras," a Victorian regulator is rumored to have said.

In preparation to the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival, scheduled for this weekend, the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Regulation (VCGR) issued a statement. Australia gambling news quotes: “Under Victoria’s Gambling Regulation Act it is illegal for a wagering service provider to offer any credit, voucher or reward as an inducement to open a betting account.”

The representative went on to say: “VCGR inspectors will be on the lookout for breaches of gambling laws and other betting venues during the Carnival."

The regulatory body has also revealed that four operators have been charged with offering illegal inducements. Among the operators named were Tasmania and Darwin licensed sports betting operators.

IASBet is said to have offered a maximum of A$1,000 in free bets to new members. SportsBet breached Australian gambling laws in the same infringement, but for amounts of A$100 and A$200.

Betezy sportsbook is charged with providing Australian punters a free bet between A$200 and A$2,500 as an incentive for friend referral. And another sportsbook is claimed to have offered bettors a refund of up to A$50 on any bet they would lose during the Spring Racing Carnival.

Additional inducements included a lather race book cover, drink voucher and an extra Melbourne Racing Club membership.

Representatives of the named sportsbooks were unavailable to comment and it remains to be seen if any official charges will be applied to the law-breaking operators.