Bet365 is the subject of legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The gaming operator has been accused of misleading customers about the terms of a gaming promotion, and the two parties will battle it out in court. The ACCC alleges that Bet365 made ‘misleading representations’ while offering free bet and deposit bonus offers, breaching Australian consumer law.
Players were offered up to $200 in free bets without any limitations or restrictions; however, they were not informed that there were actually several conditions that players had to meet in order to claim the bonuses. The free bet bonus offer was actually a match bonus. This means that players would have to wager $200 of their own money before receive the $200 bonus from Bet365.
Additionally, players were required to gamble they amount of their bonus at least three times before being able to withdraw their winnings. "As a result, a consumer who made an initial deposit of $200 and received $200 in bets was required to then gamble $1,200 before being able to withdraw any money," reads a report from the ACCC.
"To meet the free bet or deposit bonus terms and conditions, consumers were required to bet at odds of no less than 1.5, meaning that they were required to bet on higher risk transactions." The ACCC is asking that Bet365 rectifies this situation in a number of ways. This will including declarations, injunctions, financial penalties and corrective advertising.
The gaming operator has already made some changes to its website since the concerns were first raised – but the ACCC wants more to be done. This case is likely to last quite a while. As the story develops, we will keep you posted with further information on the court battle between the ACCC and Bet365.
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