Online bookmaker fined $18,000 for illegal gambling ads
Online booking company Neds.com.au has been found guilty of broadcasting illegal advertising which encouraged New South Wales residents to gamble.
As a result, the company has been fined $18,000 after pleading guilty to five offences regarding its ads urging NSW residents to gamble and open betting accounts.
A Neds.com.au gambling ad similar to the ones deemed illegal
The Queensland-based company was found guilty on all five accounts for ads which ran on www.9news.com.au, www.racenet.com.au and www.neds.com.au and gave incentives to people to make deposits into their betting accounts.
The ads said Neds.com.au would match first deposits of up to $505.
Paul Newson, Liquor & Gaming NSW deputy secretary, said the ads were clearly a breach of the NSW gambling laws and it is not good enough for company leaders to say they were unaware of laws they had broken.
“While this case needed to be prosecuted under the laws that existed when the offences took place, new laws will ensure operators will incur substantially higher penalties for irresponsible practices.
“Under the 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 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.
“In cases where company directors have not taken reasonable steps to prevent offences, they can be held personally liable.”
In November last year, when the series of illegal ads ran, Neds.com.au also had its TV commercial banned by the ad watchdog after it received more than 60 complaints.
The series of ads were censured for promoting “excessive participation in wagering activities”.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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Ouch! Better that lettuces leaf hurt like hell.
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Exactly Rifraf, $18mill would have been a more relevant penalty. Hopefully a few more of these irresponsible uses of gambling advertising will result in a total electronic media ban of the genre. Their insultingly throw-away use of “Gamble responsibly”, alone, should be enough to have them taken off air.
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So once they have roped in the first 36 mugs they’re in front. Despicable.
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Gambling ads are the smoking ads of our generation. Future generations will looks back and laugh at how disgraceful they are
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These ads are out of control. These companies dangle carrots like “double your money”, “increased odds” and “money back” and think that the “gamble responsibly” tag at the end is their out. Legally, sure. But you can’t tell me they aren’t targetting addicts.
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Some pollies once said they would get rid of these gambling industry parasites. What happened?
NOTHING.
Government needs to regulate these shonks.
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