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Australia鈥檚 media regulator has received a pledge of cooperation, in response to pressure on the 颁耻谤补莽补辞 government to crack down on online gambling operators it says are illegally targeting the country.
Following a May letter of complaint, officials of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) communicated with 颁耻谤补莽补辞 officials on June 8 about the 90-plus operators registered in the Caribbean nation and targeting Australia, according to the FOI request initially filed by the Sydney Morning Herald.
颁耻谤补莽补辞 is promising to cooperate with Australian officials, according to the documents.
The island nation is preparing online gambling licensing reform, with plans to allow the Gaming Control Board to offer licences from September 1, with eventual plans to create a new regulator, the 颁耻谤补莽补辞 Gaming Authority.
The overhaul would bring an end to the current opaque system of master and sub-licensees that sees thousands of websites operating on the island without oversight.
Operators wishing to transition to the new regime will have three months in which to apply for a new licence once reforms kick in.
In a letter posted by 颁耻谤补莽补辞鈥檚 finance ministry in May, Australian officials asked 颁耻谤补莽补辞 to consider legal infringements in other countries when assessing whether to grant a licence to applicants.
In the June meeting, 鈥淸颁耻谤补莽补辞鈥檚 gambling authority representatives] confirmed that contraventions by operators in other jurisdictions (such as Australia) would be taken into account when assessing the suitability of a licensee under the new regime,鈥 according to notes released in the FOI request.
鈥淚t will be mandatory for licensees to have in place dispute resolution mechanisms in place for affected customers, such as Australians,鈥 the ACMA notes said.
鈥淲e are open for collaboration with you,鈥 wrote a 颁耻谤补莽补辞 Gaming Control Board official whose name was redacted in the FOI filing. 鈥淲e take these breaches very seriously and will do all that鈥檚 possible to stop them.鈥
Australian officials noted that 颁耻谤补莽补辞 officials promised to pass the names of alleged violators to the master licence holders involved.
An ACMA spokesperson said the agency expects to continue its discussions with 颁耻谤补莽补辞 regulators.
At the end of July, the ACMA asked Australian internet service providers to block five more unlicensed offshore gambling sites, at least four with 颁耻谤补莽补辞 connections.
Reef Reels and Royal Reels say they are based in Costa Rica and carry a 颁耻谤补莽补辞 licence.
Ricky Casino claims a 颁耻谤补莽补辞 licence and markets itself online as an 鈥渁ccessible gambling portal for Aussies in 2023鈥.
Slots Gallery is blocked in the UK, but affiliates say it is a cryptocurrency casino which claims to have a 颁耻谤补莽补辞 licence.
The ACMA it has blocked 803 websites since 2019, and about 200 have pulled out since it launched enforcement.
