PlayUp Interactive has been sanctioned with a record AUS$586,000 fine from the New South Wales gambling regulator for “offering free bets and inducing people to gamble”.
According to a statement on the Liquor & Gaming NSW website, the regulator investigated the operator, which trades as Draftstars, after discovering 33 illegal advertisements on its website.
In Downing Centre Local Court, PlayUp was found guilty “on all 33 counts of publishing advertisements which included inducements to participate, or to participate frequently, in gambling activity – as well as an inducement to open a betting account”, an offence in the Australian state.
Liquor & Gaming NSW noted that in the state, it is “prohibited to offer any inducements to open betting accounts, refer friends to open betting accounts, keep a betting account open or consent to receive gambling advertising” and a “maximum penalty of $110,000 applies to any corporation and $11,000 for individuals who publish prohibited gambling advertising”.
Dimitri Argeres, Director of Compliance & Enforcement at Liquor & Gaming NSW: “NSW bans the advertisement of any offer of an inducement to participate in a gambling activity, including an inducement to bet more frequently, to persons who do not hold a betting account with the betting operator.
Wagering operators like PlayUp Interactive are able to legally advertise their products in a variety of ways, but they can’t advertise or promote inducements such as offers of increased odds or bonus bets to entice people to open a betting account.
It is the responsibility of the betting service provider to ensure prohibited gambling advertising is not published or communicated in NSW. Liquor and Gaming NSW will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to these offences, and this sentence shows that strong penalties can apply.”
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